572
by BritKat
Summary: Can the girl on the train solve Edward's little problem?
1. Chapter 1

"**The Indies First Time Writer Challenge" One-Shot Contest**

**Title: 572**

**Pen name: BritKat**

**Primary Players: Edward/Bella**

**Rating: M**

**Word Count: 9,003**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Twilight… but sadly I don't. My bank account wishes I owned Twilight too. **

*********

It was day 572 without any kind of action in my nether regions.

572 days without sex.

That's 572 days without lack of trying.

It wasn't like I couldn't normally get some if I wanted to, it was just a certain part of me didn't feel the need to perform. I wanted it so desperately, I was ready for it. Eddie Jr… not so much.

572 days ago I walked in on my wife riding, for lack of a better term, my best friend in our bed.

My cock then went into a deep depression.

Really, when I think about it now, Rosalie did me a favor.

Our marriage was over, we were just fuck buddies, but neither of us wanted to be the first to admit it.

My best friend Emmett, on the other hand, I couldn't forgive him.

He'd listened to me drone on about my marriage crumbling before my eyes, about my not caring to save it anymore, and he took that as permission to move in for the kill. I'd known him for 12 years.

He chose to fuck me over for the sake of a quick shag.

As far as I know, they're now living the perfectly happy little white picket fence life somewhere. So that quick shag turned into a full blown relationship.

I couldn't even get the quick shag part.

She'd left everything behind the night I caught them, including her cat, Ransom. I later learned Emmett was allergic, so I couldn't class it as a sweet parting gift.

That damn pussy was lucky to still have a roof over its head but I couldn't bring myself to kick him out.

As long as I fed him, he listened when I whined about my life and he was gracious enough not to talk back.

So with my marriage over, I was a free man. Free to spread my seed.

There was just one thing stopping me.

Eddie Jr.

I guess he missed Rosalie. She was a good lay, but come on, there are plenty more fish in the sea!

My balls had fallen out with Eddie Jr. months ago, they've been a lovely shade of blue for as long as I can remember. I'm convinced my body isn't even wasting energy creating swimmers that wouldn't even get the opportunity to be released.

Nothing made him stand to attention. Nothing. Nada.

For a cock that 572 days ago expected and received daily treats, this new existence was humbling.

I'd tried everything.

The obvious; porn and Viagra. The not so obvious; hormone therapy, vacuum devices and I had even quit smoking on my doctors advice.

Still nothing.

So I had woke up this morning on day number 572. The five hundred and seventy second consecutive day that I had woken up without morning wood since before I had hit puberty.

Climbing out of bed, I trip over Ransom on my way to the bathroom stripping out of my boxers as I go. I pee and glare angrily at Eddie Jr. while the water heats up in the shower. We were no longer friends.

He needed to man up and stand up.

Literally.

I force my way through my morning routine, grabbing my laptop, keys and wallet and heading out of my apartment towards the train station. Half way there I remembered my cell, I'd left it on the kitchen counter top. It wasn't going to do me much good there. I turn back towards my apartment, resigning myself to the fact that I was going to be late.

Fifteen minutes later I was back in route to the office. I thought it likely that I'd already missed the train I normally caught, every day, without fail. I barge through the turnstile, flashing my pass as I go, and dive onto the train standing at the station, thanking my lucky stars I'd caught it, the doors snapping closed behind me.

Fuck.

It _was_ the wrong train.

Shit.

I settled into a vacant corner to wait for the next stop so I could get myself back on track and hopefully turn this shitty day around. I scanned through the busy carriage and my eyes locked on a petite brunette standing a few feet away with her back to me.

At that same second something stirred below against the rough fabric of my jeans. _Something fucking stirred_. Barely, but it stirred.

Was day 572 my lucky day?

Was the girl on the train the reason?

I stared impolitely at the back of her head. Her long brown curls fell haphazardly over her shoulders resting half way down her back. She wore skinny jeans and a feminine cut button down shirt that accentuated her tiny waist and perfectly heart shaped backside.

95% of the girls in the world that wore skinny jeans, quite frankly, shouldn't. This particular girl… she was in the 5% of the population who definitely should.

It wasn't long before I felt that I, in turn, was being watched. I moved my gaze over her shoulder to the girl's companion only to find her shooting me daggers and whispering to her friend. Slowly, the mass of gentle curls turned and her face came into view.

And what a view it was.

She was beautiful. Classically beautiful.

Her large chocolate brown eyes looked me up and down as her plump lips separated and broke into a small shy smile, aimed directly at me. Obviously, she didn't have the same disgust at my ogling that her friend did.

Her beautiful smile signaled another twitch from below.

Again, just a small movement… but a movement none the less.

I decided right there and then that I was staying on this train.

Fuck work.

My cock MOVED of its own accord. After 572 days. Work can take a back seat for now.

The girl turned back to her friend and I could see her shoulders shaking slightly with laughter. Her friend's disgust seemed to subside and soon both of them were laughing and whispering together.

Normally, giggling girls would annoy the shit out of me. But coming from her, it was digging up feelings that were entirely different.

Feelings in my head, and feelings in my pants.

Was my luck changing?

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick "I'm sick, not coming in" text to my supervisor, then contemplated my next move.

I was out of practice.

Her friend hugged her tight then hopped off at the next stop. As the door closed and the train slowly moved out of the station I caught her eye through the window. She smiled a genuine smile and winked at me.

What did that mean? Not three minutes ago she'd almost killed me with her glare.

We continued along the line, the carriage slowly emptying as we passed through the main stops in the city center. Before long, we were the only two left in this section of the train and we were heading out to the other side of the city.

She turned to face me, a small smile playing on her beautiful pink lips.

Giving myself a pep talk, I closed the distance between us.

At this point, I'm not sure which head was leading me to her.

***** BPOV *****

I'd glanced over my shoulder as the stream of commuters hopped on the train and spotted him the second he jumped across the doorway, barely making it before we left the station.

He looked so tired and alone.

But beneath the sadness of his exterior was a beautiful man. A pretty man.

Boy was he pretty.

I nudged Alice and motioned over my shoulder towards him. Alice looked over with a puzzled look on her face trying to figure out what I was trying to point out. Without stopping her stare she leaned into me and whispered as her face became annoyed.

"Bella, you are being watched… He's cute, but the way he's looking at you, like you're something to eat. I don't like it."

I slowly turned to look and was pleased when The Pretty didn't look away. I purposefully gave him the once over.

Shit he was pretty, from head to toe. A sinful kind of pretty.

The devilish thoughts running through my mind forced a smile to break out on my lips and I quickly turned back to Alice before I involuntarily launched myself in his direction.

I couldn't help the laughter that started and Alice quickly shed her anger when she realized, as any best friend would, that the attraction was mutual. I was OK with him undressing me with his eyes. Hell, he could undress me for real if he felt the need.

With that thought lingering on my mind I mentally checked off my Ready for Lovin' list. Shaved legs, decent underwear, time of the month? Yes, yes, no. Perfect.

We were getting closer to our stop, but I'd already made my decision, I was not getting off this train without The Pretty.

I explained my quickly cooked plans to Alice and asked her if she minded shopping without me today. I knew she wouldn't miss out on a shopping trip for anything. In fact she knew it could last twice as long without me tagging along and getting bored.

With an evil chuckle she readily agreed. As the train came to a stop, Alice hugged me and reminded me to text her throughout the day so she wouldn't worry. The doors slid open and she gracefully hopped out onto the platform.

I saw her give him one last look through the window as the doors closed and the train continued on its journey. I swear I saw her wink at him.

Over the next five minutes, I stood with my back to him, building up my courage as the carriage slowly emptied at each stop. When the last person exited, I turned to look at him in all his glory.

The excitement of what I was about to do was building inside me and some leaked out in the form of a smile.

That was the only encouragement he needed to make his way over to me.

The look he was giving me was penetrating through to my very center. My legs were feeling weak beneath me.

The thoughts of what I wanted to do to this stranger bounced themselves around in my head.

This was not _the me_ I recognized of late, but this was _the me_ I wanted to get back to being.

Confident Bella, the one that gets what _she_ wants.

***

Jake had left me wounded. He'd taken all my confidence and left me a shell of my former self. A part of him loved me, I'm sure of it, he just didn't know how to show it and dragged me down into the lifeless relationship we'd had.

Four years of my young life I'd wasted with him.

Jake had put me down constantly and I had stupidly taken it thinking I couldn't get any better. Over the time we had been together, it had reduced me to nothing. I hadn't believed I was worthy of the attention of any man.

The day he left, deciding that _he_ was too good for _me_, was the day I packed my bags and moved to the city and slapped some sense into myself.

I couldn't believe I'd stayed with him for so long getting mentally beaten to the ground.

Him leaving had snapped me out of the weird funk I'd let myself fall into. No more pity party for one.

It had been 572 days since he'd left and I'd essentially run away to the city to live with my lifelong best friend, Alice, and start afresh.

For 572 days I'd been looking for someone better. Someone I deserved, and in turn, someone who deserved me.

Alice had been my rock. She'd built me back up while also being ridiculously protective of me. With one hand she'd push me out the door on yet another blind date and with the other she'd wrap me up in a protective embrace.

She'd seen how weary I was to date, but hadn't let me chicken out of trying.

Because of that, I'd been on my fair share of duff dates, but my confidence had come back tenfold.

I was Bella again.

Strong, confident and dying to get laid!

Just last night I'd told Alice I was taking the next man that showed me an ounce of attention.

That man was stalking his way across the carriage towards me and it looked like he had similar activities on his mind.

But, we were on a train about to get to the end of its line.

This was going to be interesting.

The Pretty stopped a few inches in front of me. He was so close I could feel his hot breath on me. And I liked it. A lot.

If just the feel of his breath was an indicator of what was to come, today was going to be a good day.

*****EPOV*****

I was standing within reach of her now. Her intoxicating brown eyes were peering up at me through her thick lashes.

The energy passing between us was evident before we'd even touched.

"Hi." I breathed.

It was the only word I could pick out of my scrambled brain and throw at her.

"Hi" came her response.

Obviously her brain was mush right now too.

Without the need for words I took her hand and led her over to the nearest seat. As her fingers touched mine I felt an intense heat travel through my hand, up my arm and straight to my heart.

_Weird._

We sat sideways on the seat, awkwardly facing each other, her knees tangled in between mine.

Electricity was flying through the air around us, I could hear the snap and crackle as our hands entwined.

"Edward, I'm Edward" I finally spoke, "And you, you are beautiful."

A warm pink blush rose from her neckline flushing through her cheeks as I spoke.

It was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. Eddie Jr. agreed.

"I'm Bella, pleased to meet you, you're quite beautiful yourself." She chuckled, not taking her eyes off mine for even a second.

I'd never been a man-whore, never taken a girl home after speaking eight words to her. But right now, I wanted her, and the man-whore in me was bubbling to the surface.

Little Eddie of course had a lot of say in the matter also.

He'd become my own internal compass. Every movement Bella made, he followed.

Every movement he made painfully rubbed against the seam on my jeans as he fought to fit in their tight confinement.

The sensation of having a hard on was fucking with my head. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

Crazy thoughts of the rights and wrongs of diving into whoredom swam around my head as I gazed into her eyes. I could see the same confliction laying deep beneath the rich brown that looked back at me.

Even if I took Eddie Jr. out of the equation I still suffered the same conflict.

I wasn't ready to let her go.

Something was pulling me to her.

My salute to Bella wasn't leaving any time soon either and there was not going to be a day 573 marked on my calendar, so help me God.

The feel of her touch as her free hand fell to my knee snapped me out of my conflicted thoughts. Her hand ran slowly and steadily up my thigh, the fingers on her tiny hand spread wide. Her gaze dropped and a small grin flickered across her face. I knew she'd spotted the tent in my jeans.

Should I be embarrassed?

Because I wasn't. I was far from embarrassed.

I was intrigued.

Intrigued to find out why this girl, of all the girls I'd laid eyes on over the last one and a half years, was creating this reaction.

I wanted to find out more.

"Come home with me?" I faltered. In my mind the question was strong, but as it tumbled out into the world it sounded weak and scared of rejection.

Bella took her gaze away from her fingers, that had been rubbing small circles on my thigh, and peering through her lashes whispered a simple yes.

I needn't have worried about her answer. I'd have my chance to find out more about this beauty that sat before me.

We rode the rest of the way back to my stop in silence.

Bella's hands had traveled across my legs, catching behind my knees to pull me closer. Satisfied with the distance, or lack of, between us she pushed her hands firmly back towards my crotch, dragging her thumbs through the crease in my jeans, passing by my now bouncing dick, to my hips.

My cock felt rejected and jumped with anger as she swept by, straining at the fabric that restrained it. After such a long time it felt it needed some one on one attention.

As Bella's hands grazed painfully close to my crotch again I caught her wrists holding them there.

Her response caught me of guard.

Leaning her weight onto her hands and pressing into my thighs, she boldly moved forward until her lips brushed my ear.

"Easy Tiger" she breathed, her sweet scent washing over me as she spoke, "how long until we get to this apartment of yours?"

All sweet and innocent with a roaring undertone of pure sex. I'd be lucky to even make it off the train without jizzing in my pants.

_Oh God, she was going to be the death of me. _

Over her shoulder I saw the familiar buildings coming into view that signaled we'd looped far enough back around and reached my stop. I backed out of the seat not wanting to let go of her at all and risk losing the warmth my body felt by touching her. Still clinging onto her wrists, I tripped backwards into the aisle pulling her down on top of me.

Bella let out a high pitched squeal then fell into a fit of the most adorable sounding giggles I've ever heard.

Burying her head into my shoulder she muffled her laughter but I swear I heard her sniffing in my scent.

Through the mortification of finding myself lying on the dirty floor of a train, with a beautiful girl lying atop me, who was likely being poked by my ever persistent hard on, I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Bella pushed herself up off my chest. The feel of her hands on me only encouraged my cock and it felt like it might burst through my button fly at any moment.

It was dying to escape.

I was convinced I couldn't get any harder.

Now she was standing over me. She held out her hand to pull me up. I took it, but not for the help. I'd already felt a chill from the loss and wanted her touch back.

As we walked towards the train door I kept a firm grasp on her hand. My long fingers wrapping completely around hers.

I had plans for those fingers later.

The doors opened and we stepped down onto the platform. I reluctantly let go of Bella's hand but pulled her in front of me with her back to my chest. Taking a hold of her hips, I slowly guided her through the crowd to the train station exit.

Her head fit perfectly under my chin. The scent of strawberries, sugar and clean washed over me from her hair.

As we stepped out the other side of the station and into the street a gust of wind blew her hair up around my face. Silky strands caught on the stubble on my face and linked us together as she stepped away for a mere moment before looping her arm through mine.

I reluctantly brushed her hair from my chin, chuckling slightly as Bella noticed what had happened.

My apartment was only a five minute walk, but the agonizing friction the bulge in my trousers was causing made it seem like a lifetime before we finally reached the lobby doors.

We hadn't spoken to each other since the few words we'd exchanged on the train.

But the silence wasn't empty. It felt right. I felt like I'd known her all my life.

I pulled out my security card and swiped it through the lock.

The doors unlocked and we walked through into the small lobby.

Suddenly a figure raced around the corner from the mail boxes and slammed full speed into Bella. She was knocked out of my grasp and into the wall behind us.

I raced over to check she was ok and just as I got to her she looked up and a look of shock crossed her dainty features.

"Mike?" she questioned. "Is that you?"

******BPOV******

We had spoken a couple of hushed salutations before he had taken my hand in his and walked me over to the nearest seat. We'd sat close, but not close enough for my liking.

A strange buzz seemed to hover around us. A constant vibrant energy hung in the air.

I'd felt the need to touch him, to connect further with him.

Then I heard his voice, properly this time. The low velvety sound felt like music to my ears. My eyes darted to his as my heart began to thump, I couldn't help but stare.

I felt myself blush as he introduced himself and bid me a compliment. I wasn't good with compliments… I hadn't received many, if any, from Jacob.

"I'm Bella, pleased to meet you, you're quite beautiful yourself." I'd replied.

I couldn't look away from his chiseled face, the angular lines of his jaw and cheekbones. The thick mane of bronze hair perfectly styled into an oddly sexy bouffant.

The shape of his eyes drew me in, his tear ducts begged to be kissed. I couldn't believe I was fantasizing about what I wanted to do to his tear ducts of all things!

For a moment I saw an internal battle rage behind the sea glass green eyes, but as quickly as it came, it was gone again and his face relaxed with his decision. Whatever that decision might be I hoped it included me.

I'd already made my mind up about the way I'd like to spend my day, but the more I connected with The Pretty, the more my decision was sealed. I needed to end my dry spell, and hell, this was the way to do it in style.

Feeling confident I placed my free hand on his leg and slowly massaged his thigh.

Looking down I saw the evidence of his excitement tenting in his pants and let a small giggle escape my lips in anticipation of what I hoped was to come.

His beautiful voice played once again for me, asking the question I'd been hoping to hear, "Come home with me?" He sounded nervous and unsure, but I could be the strong one to make both our fantasies come to fruition.

Looking up into his eyes I answered yes and was rewarded with a crooked smile that seemed to melt my panties away.

I grabbed the back of his knees and pulled him towards me. We were both perched awkwardly on the edge of the seat, but all I needed was to feel his legs entwined with mine.

Comfort was not in the forefront of my mind right now.

Sex most definitely was.

I wanted to touch him more. Feel him under my fingertips.

I pushed my hands up towards his hips, the inner sex kitten in me running my thumbs dangerously close to his predicament. I was teasing him and it was making me feel powerful, in control of the situation.

Slowly, I began to brush my hands back down his legs. All of a sudden I found my wrists constricted holding my palms flat to his inner thighs, my thumbs grazing him.

I pushed into him and leaned towards his ear. Feeling more confident with the situation with every passing second.

"Easy Tiger, how long until we get to this apartment of yours?" I asked in the sexiest voice I could muster without sounding like a porn star.

I felt his cock twitch as my breath fanned out over the shell of his ear.

Before I could make another move he backed out of the seat, pulling me by my wrists with him. His feet caught and before I could catch myself, I found myself lying across him. His rock hard dick pressing into my thigh caused me to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

I buried my face into his shoulder to stifle my laughter and took a moment to inhale the manly smell of leather, soap and a lingering hint of smoke.

We both got up from the train floor and, laughing, made our way to the exit.

My heart bounced around in my chest as he continued to hold onto me, something connecting us at every moment. The long fingers that wrapped around my hips as he walked us through the crowd conjured up the naughtiest thoughts in my mind.

I didn't want him to let go. I could feel his muscular chest against my back, his chin resting on the top of my head.

It was like he couldn't get close enough.

_I couldn't get close enough._

_How far away was this apartment?_

_How long did I have to wait to kiss those lips?_

_How long did I have to wait to run my tongue across those tear ducts? Damn the tear ducts – since when do I have a "thing" for tear ducts? _

As we stepped outside, away from the crowded station, he moved away. I immediately felt the loss of his body against mine.

My hair had caught in the rough stubble lining his jaw, almost holding us together. Making sure a link still existed. He laughed as he brushed my hair away and gently tucked it behind my ear.

The touch of his fingers made me shiver. What was it about The Pretty? Something was drawing me in with absolutely nothing holding me back.

No self-preservation alarm was sounding. I felt safe with him.

We walked arm in arm and in complete silence to his apartment with just the sound of our breath mixing together into the cold air.

As we arrived at the lobby door, I felt my heart betraying me with its erratic beat.

He slid the security card through the lock and opened the door for me, placing his large warm hand on the small of my back and guiding me through.

We both knew what was coming.

I sure as hell hoped what I thought was coming _was_ coming.

Before I had chance to take in the lobby and learn a little more about The Pretty, a figure came rushing around the corner slamming me into the wall.

I looked up to see Edward running towards me with a look of fright on his face and Mike…

_Mike?_

_What the fuck was Mike doing here?_

"Mike?" I stammered in absolute shock. "Is that you?"

I had been forced into a blind date with Mr. HandsOnMeConstantly, who had seen my agreement to go on a date as permission to fondle me.

The very last thing I had wanted was to be fondled by this creep. I had ended our date as soon as I politely could.

He had called me six or seven times a day for the next week. Even now, every couple of weeks he checks in. The fact that he has got my voice mail every single time, and I have not responded, hasn't given him the impression that I'm not interested.

I eased myself back up from the crumpled position I was in against the wall and inched my way closer to Edward.

"Bella" Mike yelled in his annoying whiny voice as he moved towards me, "How are you, we need to set up another date. I had so much fun!"

_Really? He still hadn't got the message? Really?_

"Mike, it is good to see you, let me introduce you to my fiancée Edward" I said as I leaned up on my toes to plant a kiss on Edward's cheek.

The heat hit me as my lips touched his skin. It spread from my lips, down my neck, across my body and down to the tips of my toes. I felt the electricity pulsing around us.

I could tell he felt it too. The smirk on his face as I kissed him turned to a look of complete and utter lust as the heat overtook his body too.

It took both of us a moment to fall back down to earth and register the pained look on Mikes face.

I felt bad.

Okay, no. I didn't feel bad at all. I felt relieved that maybe, just maybe, he's got the message.

"Oh, right… yeah… well, nice seeing you," Mike muttered as he hung his head and rushed out of the door and onto the street.

The tension of the whole bizarre event left with him and Edward and I broke into giggles. I dropped my hands from his waist, noting the ever-persistent bulge, and looped my arm back through his pulling him towards the elevators I could see at the far side of the lobby.

A new tension began to creep back into the moment. The sexual tension that had been zapping at us since we'd laid eyes on each other was back.

Edward jabbed at the button on the elevator, pressing it numerous times as if to make the doors open quicker.

After what seemed like a lifetime they opened and his hand once again dropped to my lower back, ushering me into the small space. Before the doors had managed to close, he was on me. His hips pushing me back against the wall. His lips attacking mine. His hands wandering up my body to my face.

I immediately parted my lips to invite him in, feeling his tongue snake out briefly and touch mine.

The pace of the kiss slowed as he reached over to hit the button for the fourth floor.

Bringing all his attention back to me he continued with the slow, steady, sweet kiss. Tasting my lips and cradling my face as if I was the best thing since sliced bread.

I could feel his cock pressing against my stomach and it took everything I had not to jump up into his arms to feel it press against my sex.

Just as our kiss began to heat back up I heard the ding of the elevator as the doors slowly slid open.

Taking my hand, he walked me down the long corridor to apartment 4E. He gently pulled me in front of him, my back once again to his chest, as he reached around and put the key in the lock.

Moving forward he pushed the door open and let me lead the way into his apartment.

His bachelor pad.

_But this wasn't your typical bachelor's pad. _

The apartment was well decorated. It had a woman's touch. My heart stopped for a mere moment as The Pretty suddenly became not so perfect.

"You're married?" I asked with a hint of defeat seeping in my voice.

Edward dropped his bags and looked alarmed as he heard me speak. "What, no, why? Why would you ask that?"

"You're apartment Edward, this is the home of a married couple, or a gay man. And judging by the energizer bunny hard on you've had for the last twenty minutes, I'm going with my first assumption." I barked bitterly at him.

"You're wrong" I heard him mumble, almost under his breath.

"So, you're gay?"

"Hell no, I'm not gay. Why would I have asked you to come back with me minutes after meeting you if I was gay?" he responded, louder this time, more sure of himself.

I knew I'd got it wrong, I could tell by the lost look on his face that he was being truthful. There was a story to tell, but this guy wasn't married, or engaged, or even attached.

With my lack of response he continued.

"Divorced." He said quietly. "I caught her with my best friend, in this very apartment actually."

I had moved away from him as the conversation had progressed but suddenly felt the pull calling me back to him.

I stepped forward and grabbed his hands. Placing them on my hips and putting my hand on his broad shoulders, I raised up to meet his lips again.

"Shhh, not now" I murmured against his mouth "No explanations now, we have plenty of time for that."

I felt his heart beat accelerate as the words sunk in, a crooked smirk making an appearance on his beautiful face. The twinkle was back in his eyes.

A dangerous twinkle that made my panties wet at the thought of what mischief lay beneath them.

I needed more contact. I needed skin on skin.

I needed this man, this captivating beautiful man.

In thirty minutes he had captured my heart. Love at first sight? Lust at first sight? Whichever it was I'd figure that out later, right now I was going with my primal instincts and getting what I could while I could.

As our tongues began to explore each other's mouths I heard the familiar beep coming from my jeans pocket alerting me to an incoming text. I ignored it.

We continued slowly moving down the hallway to the living room, our mouths never leaving each other's and our hands never stopping roaming over each other's bodies.

A couple of minutes later, the same beep. Again, I ignored it.

Edward backed up against the sofa, bending his knees and gently bringing me down to straddle him.

His lips left mine and I felt lost without the contact. He gently nibbled and kissed his way to my ear.

"Bella, I want you so fucking much," he breathed into my ear.

A soft moan was all I could muster in return as I felt the devil in his words send a shiver down my spine.

Another minute later and my phone sounded once again.

I gently pushed away from him and he groaned into the empty space between us.

Reaching into my pocket I grabbed my phone and flipped it open. Three texts. Three texts from Alice.

Damn it.

**~ R u alive? ~ **

**~ Will u answer me plz? ~ **

**~ Bella, I'm calling the police. ~ **

I quickly shot back a response. Cursing her at the same time as loving her for loving me so much.

**~ A, I'm fine, trying to get my schmooze on! ~**

"Your boyfriend?" he quipped, eyebrows raised as I snapped the phone shut and threw it onto the coffee table.

I laughed and shook my head no as he grabbed my waist, almost roughly, and pulled me back to his lips.

His cock rubbed against me through the fabric of two pairs of jeans as he moved his hips minutely beneath me.

Our hands became braver as they crept slowly and meaningfully over each other's bodies.

I wanted to see more of The Pretty.

This clothing had to go.

***** EPOV *****

I sat on my couch, my back pressed into the cushions, Bella straddling my legs.

The taste of her on my tongue as I explored her mouth, and the feel of her under my touch was amazing, the heat rising on every surface she touched.

This was better than anything I remembered. Maybe Rosalie wasn't that great in the sack after all.

My one and only problem with the situation: there was entirely too much clothing involved.

I started popping the buttons on her shirt open one by one as she simultaneously ran her hands down to the hem of my t-shirt and started tugging it upwards.

I took my hands from her shirt for the smallest amount of time possible as she pulled my t-shirt up and over my head.

I saw fabric flying across the room and landing in a heap on the floor in front of the fireplace.

The chill of the air hitting my skin made me shiver. I'd like to think it was the sight of my bare chest that made Bella shiver.

_Hey, I'm a man, that's how we all think!_

Returning my attention to her shirt, I unbuttoned the final few buttons and pushed the soft fabric off her shoulders and down her arms.

She wrestled awkwardly to pull it off her arms, almost falling backwards off her perch, then slung it across the room to join mine.

The sight of her half naked body made my ever-present arousal bounce in glee. Pointing a straight and direct line to Bella's heart.

I kissed and nibbled a light trail across her collarbones, feeling her body respond to my every touch.

Eddie Jr. jumped around in his confinements, willing the button fly to pop.

Could this be considered cruelty to peen? Surely, I should be letting Eddie Jr. have his moment after so many inactive days, but I wanted to please her first. I needed to.

I knew I had to keep a hold of the situation. Otherwise, junior would take over. I knew I wanted to hear Bella scream my name, over and over, before allowing myself my 572-day-old release.

I slowly licked and bit my way up to her ear, bringing her lobe into my mouth and sucking gently.

My hands roaming her stomach and sides, teasing her as I passed her breasts.

The moans that left her mouth sent shivers of pleasure cascading down my spine.

I moved back to her inviting mouth. My tongue darting out to moisten both her lips and mine. She captured my tongue, pulling me in.

Fuck, what was she doing to me?

I finally allowed my hands to make contact with the two perfect mounds her modest cleavage offered. And, the way her back was arching, she was clearly offering them.

Over the silky fabric of her plain white bra I caressed her. She fit perfectly into my hands.

I felt her nipples harden even more under my touch and the heat continued its rapid journey across both our bodies.

Her heartbeat sped up under my palm, her breathing coming in shorter breaths.

Her arms rested on my shoulders, her hands tangled in the hair at my neck.

Reaching around her small frame I attempted to release her chest from its support.

I was clearly out of practice.

I wrestled for a few moments with the fastening, but that fucker was not going to cooperate.

Bella rested her forehead on my shoulder, let out a sweet sexy laugh and effortlessly reached around and unclasped her bra.

With a sigh of relief I pushed the straps off her shoulders, letting them fall down her arms. I pulled the offending garment from her body and tossed it to the pile of clothing accumulating on the floor.

Lifting her head she gave me a satisfied wink, then she raised her eyebrows to ask what I was waiting for.

She was the sexiest woman I'd laid eyes on in a long time, and she didn't even need to try.

Her luscious perky breasts bounced inches from my face. Her nipples, a rosy pink against her pale white skin, stood to attention as if mimicking Eddie Jr.

Without hesitation I found myself suckling on her, my finger and thumb pinching and teasing the neglected nipple. She pushed her body into me, arching her back and rubbing her hips against mine, gaining friction where we both craved it the most.

It took me all I had to stop myself from climaxing right there and then in my pants.

The pain of feeling Ransom's claws sink into my naked shoulders as he jumped onto the back of the sofa was enough to ease the pressure momentarily in my pants.

I almost sunk my teeth into Bella's nipple with the shock.

Thankfully, instead, I jumped to my feet taking Bella with me. She had the good sense (or was it just self-preservation) to wrap her legs around me avoiding a fall onto the hard wood floor.

I let out a sharp breath easing the pain of the eight pin pricks in my skin and unhooking Bella's ankles from by waist lowered her to the floor.

Seeing a gleeful cat sat on the back of the sofa, Bella realized what had happened to cause the sudden leap. Shooing the cat, away she dramatically turned into mother mode, shedding the pure sex kitten demeanor in a matter of seconds.

Grabbing my hand she led me into the kitchen.

"Medical shit?" she questioned.

Still shocked by the surprising turn of events I motioned to the drawer next to the sink and watched as she picked out some antiseptic wipes and Neosporin.

"Come here," she ordered as she jumped onto the counter by the sink.

I walked over, taken aback by her change of manner. The caring, sweet, protective way she fussed over me made my heart swell. That was until I realized something else was no longer swelling.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

_Was that it? Was that my one chance and the fucking cat had killed it_

I hung my head as I neared Bella. She gently turned my body and pulled my shoulders towards her. She was still naked from the waist up forcing the care giver and the sex goddess titles to compete.

"Does that hurt, baby?" she asked as she whipped the small amount of blood away from the wounds.

"Nope, not really." I murmured, now unsure of where today's events were going to go. I could feel her gently rubbing a small amount of Neosporin onto each scratch. Rosalie had never shown me this much tender affection in our three years of marriage.

"So, you're ready to get back to where we were?"

And that was that.

The vixen was back.

She pressed her bare breasts into my back and tangling one hand in my hair pulled my head roughly to the side as she began biting and licking her way up my neck towards my ear.

The sensation of her sweet breath against my neck willed Eddie Jr. back into action. He too wasn't ready to give up that easily.

In one fluid movement, I whipped around and crashed my lips against hers. I felt like I was home, my lips were where they should be, my body pressed against the only body it should be against. The heat crept back under my skin and I could feel the goose bumps rise across Bella's skin as I touched her. The tremble as I caressed every inch of her exposed flesh.

I fumbled with the zipper on her jeans and began to push them over her hips. She raised herself off the counter as I wrestled with the material that fit her so snuggly, forcing it down her long slender legs.

I heard the thud as she kicked off her shoes and watched in admiration as she revealed the rest of her legs to me and threw the jeans across the kitchen.

*****BPOV*****

I sat in front of him now, naked except for my white boy shorts. My wet white boy shorts.

The Pretty was doing things to my body I'd never even dreamt of, and he hadn't even done much of anything yet.

Interruptions had been stacking up against us. Mike, Alice, the fucking cat! But I was too far lost in him to give up now.

The chemistry was making my insides hurt, my crotch throb and my nipples could cut ice. Something wicked was going on and I liked it. A lot.

I'd felt the need to care for him when the cat pounced. After I managed to not topple us both over, I led his half naked self into the kitchen, dishing out some TLC. The scratches weren't too bad and the passion began racing through me once again. Besides, I needed to get his cock back on alert like it had been for the past 40 minutes.

Pressing my naked torso into his back I whispered into his ear, grabbed a handful of his bronze hair, and nibbled my way across his neck.

In a flash his lips were on mine, tasting, exploring my mouth. I could feel his stubble against my face. I could feel the warmth returning to my body and the goose bumps rise over every inch of skin Edward touched.

His hands fell to my jeans as he began to rid me of the barrier between us. Lifting myself off of the counter, he awkwardly dragged them down my legs.

Why did I choose today to wear the skinny jeans that need an army to take off?

Kicking off my shoes, I pulled the jeans off my feet and discarded them across the kitchen.

Edward stood back and watched my every move, a look of lust across his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

His perfectly styled hair now fell across his forehead and into his eyes. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths. His perfectly chiseled abs creating a ladder down to the V that pointed to the wonderland.

And the wonderland was awake again.

The cat attack was far behind him, but I was more than ready for him to now be the one attacking the pussy.

I beckoned for him to come back into my space, and, without wavering, he took one large stride positioning himself between my thighs. Sat on the counter I was the same height as him and our eyes met, just inches from each other.

The soft green of his eyes had deepened to a darker shade. The lust was mixed with another emotion I couldn't quite capture. My heart beat once again sped up as he looked deep into my eyes, reaching my very soul.

Leaning in he kissed me softly on the lips before beginning his journey along my jaw line, down my neck and across my chest.

Small chaste kisses followed by a shallow breath of air created an ice cold trail across my burning body. A trail that was heading right to the part of me that ached for his touch the most.

Hooking his long slender fingers into the waistband of my shorts he slowly pulled them down over my butt as he continued his icy path on its route south. As my shorts caught on the back of my knees, he used them to pull me to the edge of the counter before allowing them to drop to the floor by his feet.

He swept the tip of his nose across my hip bone. I could feel his breath spreading across my skin sending shivers across my body.

He pushed my thighs apart and my head fell back in anticipation of what was coming. The rough texture if his stubble rubbed against my inner thighs before he placed one small kiss below my naval then roughly grabbed my backside and pulled me off the counter and into his embrace.

I hooked my legs around his waist enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around my body. My arms came to rest on his shoulders as I dropped my head to lay on him.

He pressed me against his strong chest, nibbling along my collar bone as he carried me effortlessly.

My body ached from his teasing. I didn't think I could wait much longer to feel him inside me.

His erection rubbed against me as we moved down the hall. I needed to set it free from its captivity. I needed to imprison him somewhere else entirely.

We rounded the corner and Edward reached around to unhook my ankles and gently placed me on the floor. No sooner had my feet touched the ground his lips crashed once again against mine, sending me backwards a few steps. My knees hit the bed and I sunk down onto the mattress pulling Edward with me.

Our kiss, full of passion, promise and desire, never broke as we tumbled to the bed. Our hands roamed each other's bodies as if trying to lock each and every inch into our memory.

A small yelp left his mouth as I tugged at his hair pulling him away from my lips for just a moment. "I need to feel you, inside me, now." I panted.

He growled his response as four hands simultaneously fumbled to undo his button fly. After what seemed like an eternity his jeans were open and I moved to push them over his firm backside. Our kiss became messy as we both tried to wrestle him out of his clothing, teeth clattering together and stubble burning my chin.

I forced his waistband over his hips allowing his cock to spring free.

Commando.

Nice. All the more easy to access.

Edward unhappily broke our kiss and leaned over to the bedside table. Opening the drawer he began rummaging through its contents.

"Fuck, shit. Fuck. This can't be happening." He cursed under his breath.

Confused I watched as he stood up from the bed and moved over to the dresser. Throwing objects out he continued to mutter obscenities. The stress in his broad shoulders rippled through his body.

I stared.

Stared at the Godlike figure in front of me. The footballers legs leading to the strong, muscled thighs, topped with the addictively pinch-able butt. The slim waist up to the vast expanse of his shoulders. His hair no longer anywhere close to the perfect style I had first seen on the train, the evidence of our passionate make out session and my hair pulling evident in the tussled mess.

I slowly rose from the bed and made my way over to where he stood.

Wrapping my arms around him from behind and pressing myself against his back, I took his cock into my hand and started slowly moving my closed fist up and down his length. My thumb passed over the tip and I could feel that he was as ready for me as I was for him.

As I rested my forehead between his shoulder blades I felt the tension begin to relax from his back as his head fell forward, his hands digging into the wood of the dresser.

Looking down I saw the contents of his drawers splayed across the floor and I spotted what I presumed he was so anxiously looking for.

The shiny foil wrapper sparkled among the socks, belts and… wait, what was that? Black suspenders? Sexy. The Pretty would look hot wearing those.

Continuing my movements on his dick I slowly kissed my way down his back, keeping my body in close contact with his and dragging the nails on my free hand down his sides. I felt the shiver that passed over him as my kisses turned to nips when I neared his waist and delicate bites as I passed over his remarkably toned behind.

Trailing my nails down his leg, I reached out across the floor and grabbed the condom before beginning my expedition back up his body. I savored the smell of soap mixed with arousal as I caressed his skin with my tongue.

I wound my arm around him as I stood up on my toes to whisper into his ear.

"Is this what you were looking for?" I asked, a smile crossing my lips as I heard his nervous chuckle after he'd opened his eyes to see me waving the condom in front of his face.

Snatching it from my hand he tore at the wrapper. I moved my fondling to his balls as he rolled the condom over his huge throbbing member.

In one swift movement he whipped me around so I was now standing in front of him, in the same position he had been moments earlier. He nudged my legs apart with his knee then at an agonizingly slow pace pushed inside me.

I had been ready for him from the second he'd first touched me on the train. The sensation I felt as my body stretched to accommodate him was superior to anything I'd ever felt.

Once he'd filled me to my capacity he held still. His head resting on my upper back, I could feel his sharp breaths against my skin.

As he worked to calm himself he moved one hand to my clit and slowly circled around the tender nub. After all the tension and teasing of the last hour, I immediately began to feel the familiar burn radiating inside me. The ripples of pure pleasure were forcing their way out of my center at an alarming rate.

Edward gently pinched my clit and it was all too much. My orgasm ripped through my body, my muscles clenched around him as he finally began to move inside me, my lips screamed out his name over and over.

Every muscle in my body trembled and every nerve felt alive.

Edward was a talented man.

As I began to come down from my high I felt Edward tense behind me, grabbing a fistful of my hair forcing my head back. My eyes met his in the mirror hanging above the dresser as he exploded deep inside. He shuddered in ecstasy as a long low moan escaped him.

His body collapsed over mine, his chin resting on my shoulders, never breaking our gaze. A crooked smile crossed his face as he chuckled and whispered in the sexiest post sex voice.

"Well, now that we've both got our premature orgasms out of the way, let's go for say, 572 more?"

How could I deny The Pretty?

*********

**Yeah, I did it. Thank you so much to everyone over at The Indie Twific Awards for creating The Indies First Writers Challenge. This idea has been bouncing around in my head and about 200 words of it on paper for months. This was the kick in the butt I needed to actually put it down on paper. **

**Lindi… if you remember the facebook comments months ago about all of our favourite Edwards; Darkward, Assasinward, Dukeward… we joked about Limpward… this one's for you!**

**Thanks to the RK's for encouraging me to give it a go and do this and especially to Blackie for letting me know about the Challenge. **

**And of course… big hugs and sloppy kisses to Rebecca and Kim. THANK you so much for beta-ing your little hearts out for me. I appreciate your thoughts and idea's so much.**

**To check out the other entries in the "The Indies First Time Writer Challenge" contest, head on over to: **

http://www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/community/The_Indies_First_Time_Writer_Challenge/74097/


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, a BIG HUGE thank you to all of you that voted for my little story and helped it get the 'runner up' status in the Indies First Time Writers Challenge. I was in York, UK getting in from a day of drinking when I found out via text – so just continued the drinking! Thank you… it means a lot to me that you enjoyed reading and I hope you continue as we go on a little adventure with Limpward (or is he?) and Bella. **

**THANK YOU to Kim and Laura for ****taking the time to beta for me – you rock my socks in so many ways, like 572 ways!**

**I still don't own Twilight… and my bank and I still wish we did. **

* * *

**EPOV**

We had spent the rest of the afternoon wordlessly exploring each other's bodies and working towards the goal I'd uttered in my post coital bliss. We'd christened almost every surface in my home and plowed our way through a whole box of condoms. The foil wrappers now strewn around the apartment like little shiny trophies.

I had been half serious when I suggested the need to go for it 572 times more. I had been completely serious with the thought of making sure this, whatever this was, continued with Bella.

With this beautiful woman now sleeping peacefully beside me.

I could feel her shallow breath on my neck, the rise and fall of her chest against my side. Her hair spread across my shoulder, falling haphazardly onto the pillow. A slice of afternoon sun streaming in through the blinds in the window and across her hair forced a thousand shades of brown to radiate.

_Since when did I count the shades in a person's hair? _

She truly was beautiful.

The gentle slope of her hips as they disappeared under the dark sheets, the contrast of her pale skin against the bedding. Her tiny hand resting gently below my stomach where she'd been softly twirling the hair there in her fingertips before she'd fallen asleep. The indentations above her collar bones were only hours before I'd laid a million kisses and minute bites as I'd felt her hands wandering over my body.

Every inch of what lay beside me was undeniably striking.

There was certainly an immense physical attraction. We're stating the obvious with that. We'd _known _each other for no more than eight hours and here she was sleeping so peacefully in my bed, and it felt so right.

Nothing had ever felt this right.

Even with this perfect scene playing out around me the 'oh shit' factor was settling into my stomach. The 'what next' question running laps in my head.

What do I say to her once she awakens? Would the awkward silences commence? Will Eddie Jr. still feel the need to perform? Will he get that chance?

We'd barely spoken except for a few short snippets but none had been awkward. I wanted anything but awkward, but knew deep down it was inevitable.

As I lay listening to her sleep I ran through a hundred scenarios of what could, or more to the point, what should happen once she awoke. Just as I began rehearsing lines in my head for scenario number one hundred and one I felt her stir at my side.

Bella slowly opened her eyes, raising her head a fraction from my chest to take in her surroundings. She quickly closed her eyes once more and rolled onto her back, her head slamming onto the pillow next to mine.

"Shit" she murmured, so quietly I barely heard her.

I immediately felt the loss of her skin against mine, but not wanting to freak her out any more than she obviously was, I stayed still, staring at her profile.

Without re-opening her eyes she spoke in a quiet whisper, "Hi, so… erm, is this gonna be weird? Should I just sneak out? Stay for coffee? Dinner? Oh, God, I can't believe I'm in this predicament. You have to understand, this is not something I…"

"Bella, shhh. It's OK. This doesn't have to be weird. And I know, this is not something I do either. You can open your eyes though. Please?"

She turned her head slowly towards me and opened her right eye, cautiously peeping out at me through her long dark lashes. A small giggle left her as she opened her other eye and took in the sight before her.

"I'm sorry," she laughed, "but your hair, I mean, it's…"

"You're talking about my hair?"

"Um, yeah, I guess I am." She replied, the amusement still in her voice.

"So, I guess if my hair breaks the awkwardness of the moment, that's a good thing? What's so funny about it anyway?"

"Oh, nothing it's just stuck up every which way, it was so perfect a few hours ago. I would have almost described it as a bit bouffanty actually." As she spoke she rolled onto her side and reached over, attempting to smooth the unruly mass residing on my head. A task I knew to be impossible without copious amounts of hair products.

This was not one of the one hundred and one scenarios I'd had circulating through my head, but I certainly liked this one so far.

My eyes were instantly drawn to her breasts as she rolled towards me, gently smushing them together giving her the illusion of being more endowed than she actually was. Add in to the equation the feeling of her hand in my hair and the lust was boiling back up to the surface. Fast.

Without realizing it my hand had moved to touch her breast, the soft mound fitting perfectly into my palm. I rolled towards her and softly pulled her in to meet my lips.

I placed a small kiss, then another and another on her inviting lips. The feeling of her whole body pressed against mine sent chills throughout me and welcomed goose bumps to spread rapidly across my skin.

Tentatively, I pushed the tip of my tongue against her mouth, requesting entry. My whole body celebrating when she once again allowed me in. Our tongues danced intimately together, swirling and exploring against each other.

My hands roamed the gentle curves of her body, almost forcefully pulling her closer to me. Her hands tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck and roamed feverishly over my back and shoulders.

Eddie Jr. stood to attention, anticipating our next move, pressing against her belly waiting anxiously for his turn.

Then as quickly as it had turned to the hottest of hot, it turned to ice. Her body tensed as she pushed away from my embrace.

Before I could even register what was happening I found myself staring at Bella's back as she sat on the edge of the bed with the sheets wrapped tightly around her.

"I, um, I can't do this" she whispered, almost too softly for me to hear.

"Do what, what can't you do Bella?" my voice sounded desperate as I willed for this to not be happening right now.

"This Edward, I can't do this." She said as she waved her hand around the mess that was the sexed up room. "I can't spend the day having meaningless sex with a guy I just met and just be okay with that. I can't do it. I honestly don't know why I came here."

_Meaningless sex?_

"Where is this coming from, what's this sudden change of heart?" I rambled, words just falling out of my mouth. "Stay, please stay, let's talk about this."

Bella stood silently, gathering her clothes that had been strewn around the bedroom in our haste earlier. She walked over to the bathroom, still wrapped in the sheet and gave me a sad smile as she closed the door behind her.

What the fuck just happened?

Eddie Jr. was not pleased. He'd been semi hard getting ready for another round before this turn of events.

But more than the disappointment now dangling between my legs, my whole being felt lost and devastated. She can't leave. I cannot let her go.

But kidnapping… yeah, that doesn't seem right. Does it? For a split second it seemed like the only way.

Damn it, of course it's wrong. Jeez Cullen, are you seriously even contemplating that?

Jumping up I threw on some jeans and an old white t-shirt and left the bedroom to give Bella some privacy.

Flopping down on the couch I closed my eyes and lay my head back listening to her move around in the next room. Knowing that I couldn't lose her as quickly as I'd found her I resolved to at least get her number, e-mail, last name, something. We can start again, start fresh. Do this the 'right' way if that's what she needs. I had to try something. I'd find what the 'right' way needs to be.

This pleased Eddie Jr. Hope was not lost for him.

A few moments later she walked out towards me looking shy and regretful. I didn't want her to regret anything.

What had happened today was pure physical attraction on both parts, but I felt the deeper connection too. And I know she did. I saw the look in her eyes when, cheesy at it sounds, sparks flew when we had first touched on the train. I know she felt it too.

I stood from the couch and walked slowly towards her.

"Bella" I started with confidence, "I don't know what happened in there just now. I do know that I don't want to…"

"Edward, please… don't."

"No, please. Let me finish. I do know that I don't want you to walk out that door and then I never see you again. I do know that I'll do whatever it takes, whatever you need, to give this, to give us a chance." I finished with less confidence and sounded more like I was begging.

In all truth I was. If I needed to beg, then so be it.

I hung my head, my hair falling down across my eyes and waited for a response.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke. "Edward, I need to think this over. I need to figure this out. Give me a week or something, just let me have some time. Please?"

She took the final few steps towards me, pressed a scrap of paper into my hand and reached up on her toes to place a small feather light kiss on my chin. With that, she gathered her jacket and bag, and walked out my front door.

I instinctively reached up and placed my fingertips on my chin as I watched her leave. The buzz was still there, the last place she'd touched me.

The door closed and I turned the paper over in my hand.

The messiest handwriting I'd ever seen simply stated her full name and a number. It was better than nothing, I could accept that, but why did I feel so empty?

The next week was painful.

I quickly recovered from my 'sickness' and went back to work the next day. Unfortunately work did nothing to keep my mind off Bella. My mind being on Bella did nothing for the almost constant hard on I was now sporting.

Half naked women with beautiful bodies would pass me at the gym and nothing, just like those 572 days. A one half second thought of Bella and the pressure in my pants was excruciating. It seemed Eddie Jr. had a one track mind… Bella.

So the week was painful in my pants, but it was also painful in the gaping loss I felt.

How was this normal? Is this what love was? Or was this lust? I know I had loved Rosalie once, but I don't remember feelings and emotions like this being involved. Not even close. Had I ever really loved Rosalie? I began to question that.

But more so I questioned over and over again what was happening to me in regards to Bella. I had never felt so alone. Even in the days following my surprise entertainment courtesy of Emmett and Rosalie I'd felt better – and that event had dissolved my marriage.

The one thing I knew for certain was that I was going to do everything in my power to make Bella mine. To make her see what I saw. To make her feel what I felt. Something had thrown us together, and I had to make sure it stuck.

**BPOV**

It had been a week since my blissful day with Edward. I hadn't seen him, spoken with him, or made any contact with him in those seven days.

But I was saving myself from the inevitable heartache. Love at first sight… pffft… it's what fairytales are made of and I'm not fortunate enough to live that kind of life.

But I felt lost, alone and completely confused.

After I'd left his apartment, I'd caught the train home to the small house on the outskirts of town I shared with Alice. She had bounced around uncontrollably when she'd heard be come in the door and wrapping her arms around me she'd congratulated me on the end of my dry spell. Apparently I had an aura of sex flowing around me. I hadn't showered before I left so I took that as a polite way of saying "You smell like sex Bella"… nice!

That's what friends are for!

Once I'd showered, changed into comfies and dragged myself back down stairs Alice was ready for every ounce of information from the hours before. Like old times we'd loaded up with ice cream and wine and curled ourselves on the couch while I gave her the details. Or at least I tried to give her the details.

But I couldn't, I didn't know what I was describing. It wasn't merely a fun filled day of hot sex with a random stranger. But what exactly was it?

I'd gone to bed that night more puzzled than before and I hadn't slept a wink. Just thinking about how it had felt when I touched him sent tingles through every part of my body to my fingertips.

My week had continued as it normally would except for the fact that I kind of plodded through my shifts at the small bookstore I worked at. My mind clearly elsewhere. I had thought back to that day a million times trying to figure out what it all meant.

***

I had woken to an unfamiliar, but not unpleasant smell. Soap, sex, a little bit if spice and man. My mind had been running on overtime reminding me where I was and what that delicious smell was. I had kept my eyes closed while I took it all in and I thought about the hours leading up to my afternoon nap.

I had remembered the hot, intimate, crazy sex we'd had in every corner of his huge apartment. I had remembered the pleasure, the intensity and willingness to be with a man who'd I'd known for only a few hours. I'd remembered the ease of being with him, the overwhelming feeling to nurture him when the damn cat had pounced and clawed his skin, then the immense urge to feel him inside me only a split second later.

I had known then that the whole thing was strange, it wasn't a predicament I'd normally find myself in, but I had really wanted it to be OK. I had really wanted to figure out what the crazy attraction was all about. Feelings like those were not normal.

As I had lain there against his body, pretending to still be sleeping, I had given myself a pep talk. The pompoms had been brought out in full force. I, Bella Swan, could do this had been chanted a few times in my head.

I'd stretched a little, pressing my body against his long lean torso before opening my eyes to see what waited for me.

As soon as I'd laid my eyes on him I had pushed myself away, the lack of contact had registered immediately.

"Shit." The word had spilled out before I could stop it. Maybe I couldn't do this. I wasn't 'that' kind of girl.

OK, pompoms back out and the pep talk had continued… you CAN do this Bella. It's OK. Nothing to be ashamed of. Just talk to him.

That's when I'd started rambling, going on about the whole thing being awkward and staying for dinner and all kinds of shit. I'd had no idea what I was doing. I'd just needed to desperately relax.

I'd slowly turned my head back towards him and peered through one eye, then two and that was it, the church giggles had started, effectively hiding my nervousness. It had really not been the appropriate time to laugh, but once I'd gotten a good look at that man's hair! When I'd seen him on the train I'd been quite perplexed by the ultra neat way his hair was perfectly styled into some overgrown bouffant. But it had suited him. It worked.

But there it was, sticking up in every direction possible. It was 50% hilarious and 50% pure hot sex.

While explaining the meaning behind my laughter I hadn't been able to stop myself from reaching out and touching him, attempting to smooth the unruly hair back into some sort of order. I had felt all the nervous tension and awkwardness leave my body as I had once again made contact with him.

He'd immediately responded to my touch, his hand had found my breast once again and he had rolled towards me planting a chaste kiss on my lips. My skin had felt on fire with the contact, yet with the burn came the chills. One kiss had led to another and as his lips and hands had become frantic, he'd pulled me towards him holding me tight.

That's when I felt it.

Felt his arousal pressing against my belly.

That's when I'd realized what I was doing and made the drastic switch to "I can't do this".

I'd rambled off some excuse, he'd begged me to stay and talk about it. I'd rambled off more excuses, slipped into his bathroom to dress then geared myself up to leave.

But there was a tiny part of me that couldn't just give in and forget it all. Staring at myself in the mirror I had come to the conclusion that giving myself some time to think about it would answer all the questions swimming in my head.

Jotting my number down on a scrap of paper from my purse, I'd made my way out into the living room. He'd begged me to stay once again, his voice getting more anxious as he spoke, but I'd stuck to my plan. Pushing the paper into his hand I'd reached up to place what I knew was the last kiss we'd ever share on his chin then I'd turned and left.

And didn't look back.

***

Now as I stood behind the counter busying myself with the stock order, I found myself thinking it over once again. I was no closer to knowing what I wanted.

I'd left it in his hands though. I no longer felt like it was my choice to make. It was his choice now and I would accept the outcome.

He'd done as I'd asked and hadn't contacted me that week, but I'm sure by now he'd forgotten about that day. Or at least placed it in his 'Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt' folder.

I'd file it away there, too. That was my resolve.

As I typed the book order into the antiquated computer I heard the bells tied to the door handle ring and looked up to find myself staring straight into the same green eyes that had captivated me a week ago.

"Bella." Edward acknowledged with a slight nod of his head.

After hearing the gravelly sex of his voice, the resolve I'd had left and the feelings of lust came flooding back.

I was toast.

* * *

**A little mini cliffie… I know, I ****suck, but it seemed like a good stopping point ;-) Let me know your thoughts – reviews, good or bad, make me smile real big - OK, maybe not the bad ones, but I'm all for constructive criticism.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK, so really… you guys are super. Thank you so much for you****r kind responses regarding my continuing this little tale. **

**After today's explosion of Eclipse and Remember Me stills, and The Pretty shopping for underwear… I was inspired to add a few finishing touches to this chapter and then send it off to my beta's. They then turned it around in record time – THANK YOU Kim and Laura – you rock!**

**As usual… I still do not own Twilight, I've asked and SMeyer's won't sell. **

**EPOV**

Seven days ago Bella had placed her name and number into my hand before walking out of my door. She'd asked me to give her at least a week.

I hadn't been convinced that I could wait that long, so I'd thrown the scrap of paper in my open and empty safe and slammed the door shut sealing it in and avoiding temptation. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have had the ability or the strength to give her a week. If I had any chance at winning her over I had to do as she asked.

So today, one painfully long week later I'd called a few clients, changed my schedule a little and arranged to leave work early. I'd made it back to my apartment by 3 p.m. I now sat on the edge of my bed. My eyes squeezed shut in frustration, eyebrows knotted together and my hands buried in my hair. Any more force and I'd be pulling handfuls out.

What the fuck was the code to my damn safe?

Over the last hour I'd tried every set of numbers I thought it could possibly be. I was about to give up and drink myself straight through Friday and into the weekend when it clicked.

08*02*08

That was the date I'd helpfully suggested to Rose that she would be better off leaving our apartment forever. With my expected level of distrust with her, I'd changed the combination that day.

Clicking through the combination and turning the knob as fast as I could, I pulled open the door grabbing the only thing occupying the cold space -- a small crumpled piece of paper. Smoothing the paper out across my thigh, I saw Bella's untidy handwriting spelling out her full name and a phone number.

I flipped the paper over in my fingers deciding on my next step. I'd had a week to think about it, but I was as clueless in this moment as I had been the minute she'd stepped out of my front door.

As the paper turned in my hand, I noticed a familiar logo on the other side.

Little Brown Bookstore.

I knew that place, a cute little antiquated store across town. I'd spent many hours browsing the shelves for hidden gems. Thinking about it now, I realized I hadn't been there in a while.

Looking closer I saw a work schedule of some kind under the image. It wasn't just any work schedule – it was Bella's work schedule. And according to this, she's working right now.

This changed my options dramatically.

If I call her she can ignore my calls. If I see her face to face she has to at least listen to me. Doesn't she?

With my mind made up I grabbed a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans from the closet and changed out of my work clothes. Checking my appearance in the bathroom mirror, I ran wet hands through my hair to restore a small amount of control back into it.

Grabbing my wallet and keys, I raced out of the apartment down to the parking garage below.

Slipping behind the wheel of my car, I threw the keys in the ignition and closed my eyes, willing the engine to start. I found a silent prayer often helped.

I didn't use my old station wagon during the work week anymore, and I always forgot to start her and let her run for a little while, like I should. She was temperamental and I should treat her better. I'd bought her used with my savings when I was 16, and I couldn't even think of parting with her… but owning a car while living in the city just frustrated me.

I preferred now to walk, to catch the train… I liked to people watch. People fascinated me, and people watching and driving don't go hand in hand.

But today, I wanted to get to my destination as quickly as I could. Thankfully the engine roared to life on my first attempt. See, how could I part with her faithfulness?

I made my way out of the garage, ignoring the huge oil stain the car revealed as I left my designated spot, and headed in the direction of the bookstore and the woman of my dreams.

Eddie Jr. jumped at the mere thought. I had to remind him he likely wouldn't get any action any time soon.

Twenty minutes and seventeen red lights later, I circled the block looking for a spot to park. I'd passed by the store front a few times now and each time stolen a glance through the window. The darkened interior didn't allow me to see much past the display in the window.

My heart was beating faster and the death grip I had on the steering wheel at the thought of seeing Bella again soon was doing nothing for my sweaty palms.

After a further five minutes searching, I had no more patience left and abandoned the car in a 15 minute drop off only zone. I secretly hoped for a ticket – because a ticket would mean she'd let me stay longer than I could even hope for at this point.

Gathering every ounce of confidence that I could, which wasn't much at this point, I turned towards the store front.

The fear of the unknown was killing me.

I stood outside and watched an elderly gentleman enter and moments later a harassed looking woman in her 30s with three children, all who looked to be under school age, leave.

The door seemed to be working just fine, so why wasn't I using it?

A final nudge, and I took two long strides, pushed the door open and then I stopped dead in my tracks.

There she was.

She looked even more exquisite than I had dared to remember.

Bella was no more than ten feet from me, working away behind the counter. Her hair falling in soft curls, obscuring my view of her face as she looked down at the project in front of her. My fingers itched to reach out and push her hair behind her ear.

I longed to touch her in reaction to that pull again.

The door closed behind me causing the bell to ring and her head popped up to greet her new customer.

Her mouth opened to speak then she stopped before a sound came out. A blush fanned across her neck and face. Deep in her eyes, even from this distance, I swear I saw a flicker of lust, happiness, relief?

"Bella." I broke the silence.

"Edward, what… what are you doing here? How did you…." She hurried out the words, flustered and nervous all of a sudden. Her blush deepened.

"I was afraid you wouldn't speak to me if I called. I don't mean to corner you, but we need to talk."

Bella looked back down, still holding the documents she'd been working on when I came in. She scrunched the pages in her hands, then smoothed them back out on the counter. Nervously fumbling, I strode over to her and gently laid my hands across hers, effectively stilling her movements.

A spark jolted between us, and we both jumped slightly at the contact.

"I'll leave if you want me to, but I beg of you, please, please just give me a chance."

As I spoke, she looked up to meet my gaze. "OK. Coffee? I have a break in 20 minutes. There's a coffee shop around the corner. I'll meet you there."

My heart began to beat faster than I thought possible as the exhilaration and glee ran through my body. I nodded my acceptance as I was finding it hard to form an actual word, then I turned and almost skipped out of the store.

Twenty minutes. I had twenty minutes to pull my shit together, calm the fuck down and prepare for the conversation that had to win Bella over.

She was giving me a chance. That alone was more than I could have hoped.

I danced back to the car, noting the lack of ticket on the windshield, and climbed in to locate a more permanent parking spot. The old girl started up for me once more, and I made a mental note to treat her to an oil change in the very near future.

Nineteen minutes later I glanced at my watch for the 50th time and nervously mixed another packet of sugar into my coffee.

I'd questioned the barista to see if she knew 'Bella from the bookstore', and when she had, I'd asked her to prepare Bella's usual as well as a drip coffee for myself. I now sat in one of four large brown leather armchairs placed neatly around a low wooden table at the back of the coffee shop.

The corner afforded some privacy away from the rest of the patrons, yet from my spot I still had a clear view of the door.

Right on time the door opened, and a stream of sunlight poured in splashing across the floor and counter. Through the light came the most pleasing sight known to mankind, or at least that was my take on the view unfolding in front of me.

I stood to gain her attention and waved her over to our table.

Watching her walk towards me with a hesitant smile on her face was like heaven. Eddie Jr. thought it to be more like internet porn and sprang to attention to greet her.

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for remembering to wear underwear, at least it kept him under control somewhat.

Bella made her way over and with a quiet, but friendly 'hello', slid into the armchair opposite mine. I gestured towards the latte and the oatmeal raisin cookie placed in front of the chair next to me and pushed them towards her before sitting back down.

"How did you know what I order here?" she questioned, with a slight hint of concern in her voice.

"The girl behind the counter, I asked if she knew you. She did."

"Oh, right, Jessica… of course." She answered. "And how did you know where to find me?"

"The paper you left, with your number. You'd written it on your work schedule."

"Ahh, right, that's where that went." She sounded relieved that I wasn't stalking her.

A silence fell over the table, but unlike the silences of last week, this quickly became awkward. I combed my mind for the right words to start the conversation I so desperately needed to have with her, but she beat me to it.

"So, Edward, not that I'm upset to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Talk about diving right in on the questioning.

"I had to see you again Bella. You asked me to wait a week, I did, but I couldn't wait any longer." I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye and instead looked down into my coffee while fiddling with a napkin, tearing the edges over and over.

"Wow, OK… Edward, I'm not just some booty call that you can come calling on when you feel the need."

_How could she think that? Did she really think I was here for a booty call? _

"Bella, that's not why I'm…" I began, but was cut off from saying more. I lifted my head in surprise and found myself looking into the deepest pools of chocolate brown.

She locked her gaze on mine, and I watched as a flurry of emotions crossed her face. "Last week that wasn't me. I don't do that. I've never done something like that before in my life. But I was needy, it had been way too long since I'd… well, since I'd… you know."

I nodded but didn't respond. Boy did I know.

A few moments passed, she took a sip of coffee. The red of her lips as she brought the cup up to her mouth sent waves of desire through my whole body and caused a dance party to start in my pants.

The mix of feelings was overpowering, the lust causing my physical reactions and the honesty spilling from Bella's lips causing my brain to swim.

"I had made a, well I guess a kind of bet with Alice, the girl on the train with me. I told her that I'd have the next man that paid any form of attention to me." she continued, "I know, that sounds awful. And honestly I never thought I'd go through with it. But then you were the next man… and well, I just acted out of character."

If I thought I was confused with this whole situation for the past week, that confusion had nothing on what I felt now.

Was I a bet that was never meant to be?

As Bella continued, I wanted to reach over and capture her hands in mine. Let her know wordlessly that I knew she wasn't that kind of girl, I'd felt it too, whatever _it_ was.

"When I woke up with you I got scared, I wanted to run. But something was stopping me from cutting the cord altogether."

"That's why you left your number?" I asked, as the realization that she was as confused as I began to set in.

"I just needed to go, needed to figure out what had happened."

"Bella, may I cut in?"

She nodded and moved further back into her chair, curling her legs up underneath her and wrapping both her tiny hands around the warm coffee as if to draw heat and comfort from it.

"I'm not that kind of guy either. I can promise you that. Everything that happened was purely from the draw we both felt, and I know you felt it too."

Bella gave a small nod and looked back down into her coffee.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. "Bella, please give me a chance. Let me do this the right way. Don't you think we should at least try?"

Bella surprised me again by answering my question softly but with passion. "Yes. Yes, I do think we should try. But Edward, I'm scared. I've been hurt before."

My body moved of its own accord as I stood from my seat to move closer. I sank to my knees in front of her, taking her drink from her and placing it on the table, I took both her hands in mine. I looked up into her almond shaped eyes and relished in the surge of energy passing between us. The pull I felt to kiss her was immense, but I couldn't abuse the trust she was giving me.

Keeping a hold of her tiny hand, I moved up to push her hair back from her face, using the back of my hand. I kept the contact longer than I should, but it was hard to pull back.

"Bella," I began, "I've been hurt too. I've held back from allowing myself any kind of relationship since. Until I met you. Please give me a chance?"

Bella pulled my hand towards her lips and placed a chaste kiss on my knuckles. My skin broke out in goosebumps, the heat passing to the tip of every limb.

"I will give you - give_ us_ - a chance. Just don't hurt me, that's all I ask."

"I won't. I'll do everything in my power not to." I promised her.

I moved back into the chair next to her, and we kept the contact through our knees touching.

Finishing our coffees and sharing the cookie, we made small talk about the past week and secured plans for dinner the following night.

We didn't bring up the events of last week again at all.

Twenty five minutes later, she had to leave to get back to the book store.

I wrestled between pulling her in for a passionate kiss goodbye and simply placing a small kiss on her cheek. With regret, I chose the latter.

As my lips touched her skin, I felt the heat wash over her and saw the blush rise from her chest and spread across her cheeks. The color looked so beautiful on her. It was the same color her skin turned when she came. And anything that reminded me of that was sublime.

Anything that reminded Eddie Jr. of that on the other hand was enough to make him attempt a jailbreak through my zipper.

If I was going to take this slowly, I was going to have to get him under control.

Bella broke our hold and started towards the door.

"Thanks for the coffee Edward, I'll see you tomorrow at 7?"

"Yes, seven… I'll be there." I smiled and watched her leave. My smile growing larger by the second as the realization that she had said yes set in.

I drove home in a daze. I was actually surprised to find myself digging through my freezer looking for something to eat. I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there.

Throwing a Hot Pocket in the microwave and grabbing a beer, I sat at the kitchen counter and went over the last few hours in my head. They'd gone better than I could have hoped.

Now I just had to get through the next 24 hours and I'd see her again.

I stumbled through the evening, watching TV, surfing the internet… anything to keep my mind off Bella. But nothing worked. By 9 p.m. I called it a night. The afternoon had been an exhausting roller coaster of emotions.

As my head hit the pillow, my last thought before I drifted to sleep was of Bella.

She was going to give me a chance.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you once again for your reviews… they mean so much **

**Kim and Laura – thank you for the commas. I'm thinking I may be allergic or something… I really should start using them more!! **

**Rebecca – there is a little bit of chocolatey goodness in here for YOU. **

**As usual… I still do not own Twilight, my bank account and I cry often because of this. **

**BPOV**

The feelings that overtook me when I saw those eyes and heard that voice were beyond intense. I tried to be strong. I tried not to cave so easily. But it didn't last.

Within moments, I'd suggested we meet for coffee. I had to hear what he wanted to say, what had made him track me down to my workplace. If I didn't hear him out now, I'd think about it for an eternity.

I'd tripped my way through 20 minutes of work. Knowing that he sat only two stores away from me did nothing for my concentration. I don't recall accomplishing anything in those 20 minutes.

After what had seemed like 20 hours, not minutes, I'd finally walked into the coffee shop and watched in awe as he had stood to wave me over. He was taller and leaner than I'd remembered; I wasn't sure how that was possible. His hair had been a styled catastrophe, and I had needed to physically restrain my hands, by linking them behind my back, to stop me from reaching out towards it.

His beautifully angled face had been a mixture of relief, apprehension and something that hinted of lust. Those feelings had pretty much mirrored my own.

I'd unabashedly stared at him as I'd walked across the room. I had wanted to drink it all in, lap it all up, in case this was the last time I ever saw The Pretty.

He'd talked, I'd talked.

I'd been assured I wasn't being stalked, I wasn't a booty call and was most definitely something more in his eyes. What exactly that more was, I wasn't sure.

He'd spoken softly and sincerely and I'd believed every word he said.

He'd listened when I spoke of my fears. He'd told me of his. We'd shared just the surface of our pasts.

We hadn't spoken of the day that brought us together. I hoped we would at some point, but then had not been the time or the place.

Now, a little over 24 hours later, I stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of my closet door. I was in the seventh outfit of the last hour.

The first had been too trashy, the second too suggestive, the third too 'librarian', the fourth too casual, the fifth far too low cut and the sixth would have allowed me to freeze to death.

Maybe this was the one.

The skinny jeans hugged my hips and butt perfectly, showing off my long slim legs. Ballet flats would help keep me upright and a navy blue, silky wrap style top with delicate ruffles around the capped sleeves. Dipping to a respectful v at the neck, giving just a slight hint of what lay beneath.

Granted, all Edward had seen me in so far was jeans, but I didn't want to represent anything I was not yet ready to undertake… again.

Running the brush one last time through my hair and applying one more coat of lip gloss, I grabbed my purse and phone and headed downstairs to wait for my date.

Half way down the stairs a key turned in the lock and Alice came crashing through the door, out of breath and soaking wet.

"Did I make it? I did! I made it!" She blurted out as she kicked off her wet shoes and threw her jacket over the banister.

"Make what Alice? What's the rush?"

"I just wanted to get home before you left. You know me, I felt the need to check out your outfit..." She paused momentarily and gave me the once over from head to toe---"...which I approve of, by the way--- and give you a pep talk if you needed one."

"Thanks Alice" I chuckled. She could be so damn cute.

"I'm just glad I made it. Traffic was awful with the rain and rush hour, you know how people get driving in the rain, it took me 15 minutes to get from the train station parking lot to here!" she prattled on while heading to the kitchen at the back of the house.

I followed knowing that I wouldn't get another word in until she'd emptied her brain of all the thoughts she'd stored up while alone on her travels. Often she'd not been able to keep it in long enough and word vomited over some poor unsuspecting commuter. This of course led to her being mortified that she'd done it again and led to an hour long, one sided conversation about how she needed to learn to pause and take a breath.

I loved Alice to bits. She'd been my best friend since pre-school. I'd learned to just go with the flow and accept her for the crazy but loveable woman that she was. She had a wonderful heart and although tiny, could give the best bear hug.

Grabbing a soda from the fridge, she sat down at the small table crammed into the corner of the kitchen and patted the seat next to her, in essence, ordering me to sit.

I did as I was told.

"So, are you ready for your big date? Do you know where he's taking you? What time is he picking you up? 7pm? Are you going to sleep with him?" she rattled out the questions faster than I could even register, but the last question was the only one that stuck.

"Alice, no, of course I'm not going to sleep with him. Jeez, I don't want him to think I'm easy or something."

"Erm, Bella… you already slept with the guy, numerous times in one day, the same day you met him… he may already have that impression." Alice said in the softest voice I've ever heard come from her little frame.

I buried my face in my hands, "I know that's a possibility Alice, but I'm trusting him OK? He said this wasn't a booty call. He said he wanted to start fresh, get to know me. I need to trust him on that or this isn't going to work."

My words were more of a reassurance to myself than to Alice.

I had to believe that he wasn't expecting me to jump back into bed with him.

I had to believe that he would take it slow.

I had to believe that the connection we both admitted to feeling was something worth giving the chance.

Amazingly Alice had managed to stay silent while I gathered my thoughts. She sat opposite me patiently waiting for me to continue the conversation.

"Alice, there is nothing I want more than to lock myself and that pretty, pretty man in my bedroom and not leave. There is nothing I want more. But, if I'm ever going to know if what he wants with me is something more than just sex… I can't just jump in the sack with him again."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Alice hung her head and avoided eye contact as she spoke.

"No, you should have said that. It's the truth, Alice." I urged her to look at me. "I did sleep with him – a lot – after knowing him for like an hour. You're absolutely right, maybe he does think I'm easy. But I don't think that's the case. There is this connection between us...I can't describe it. I've never felt anything like it before. I have to give that a chance."

Alice smiled and moved to throw her arms around my shoulders and squeeze me entirely too tightly.

"Hearing you talk like that makes me happy Bella. You deserve some happiness… I hope this is it,"she spoke into my shoulder.

Patting her back, I managed to squirm out of the hug before I began to feel faint from lack of oxygen. "Thanks, we'll see I guess – I don't even know him, I need to find out that side of him too."

We sat there and spoke about our day for a while, the constant tick tock of the clock seemed to rebound off every wall. The hands ticking toward seven o'clock.

Then the hands started ticking past seven. Five minutes past, ten minutes past…. eleven… and I heard a sharp knock echo down the hall from the front door.

I stood nervously and smiled at Alice.

"Please stay in here." I asked, "I'm not ready for formal introductions yet."

Ever the best friend, she kissed me on my cheek and wished me good luck.

The walk down the hallway was no longer than 15 feet, but it felt like an eternity. The anticipation of what the evening would bring running laps in my head.

I reached the door just as another sharp knock sounded.

Opening the door my heart stopped in my chest for a few beats as I took in the sight before me.

There he stood under a large umbrella dressed in black, well fitted pants and a gray button down shirt, the top few buttons open and revealing his muscular chest beneath it. His hair was perfectly styled in the bouffant I remembered from the train, and I couldn't help but think about messing it right back up.

I ran my eyes up the full length of his body taking in the Eighth Wonder of the World standing before me.

Ending on his beautiful face, I was treated to the most panty dropping, lop-sidedsmile I had ever seen. His green eyes sparkled with confidence and his right eyebrow quirked upward along with his lips. He was freshly shaven and just divine.

Divine was the word of choice.

"Bella." His deep velvet voice brought me back to my senses, "You look beautiful… shall we?"

"Sure, just let me grab my bag and jacket." I hurriedly turned to gather my belongings before Edward caught wind of the blush that was quickly traveling across my face.

His smirk and the playful look in his eye had confirmed that he'd noticed my appreciation of him also.

I shrugged on my jacket and slung my bag over my shoulder. Shouting a quick goodbye to Alice, I stepped out into the shelter of his umbrella.

We walked down the front stairs from the porch, and I suddenly lost my footing on the slick stone step, reaching out to grab Edwards arm to stop me from falling.

So much for ballet flats keeping me upright.

Edward clung onto me with his free arm, and I swear I heard a soft chuckle over the noise of the rain beating down around us. I dared to look sideways and caught a glimpse of the man now holding me up. Sure enough, laughter played on his lips.

I could feel bad for being laughed at, for something that was actually funny, or I could laugh along. I chose to laugh along.

As we made our way slowly towards the street, holding on to each other and laughing, I looked up to determine how far I had to go without falling. The hunk of junk that I'd watched him drive away from the store in yesterday was a couple of spots down the street.

He opened the passenger door first and held the umbrella over me as I climbed in. I got myself situated as he made his way around to his side of the car. He closed the umbrella and threw it on the floor in the back then slipped into the driver seat.

Those few seconds in the rain had darkened his shirt around his shoulders and caused droplets to drip from his hair and down over his face.

I wanted to lick it, but refrained.

"Nice ride." I commented, trying to keep the mood light.

"Yeah, it's probably time for an upgrade." Edward quipped, "But I just can't seem to let this old Volvo go."

He closed his eyes as if in prayer as he turned the key in the ignition. The car roared to a noisy life and we turned out onto the street.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Do you like Italian?" he questioned, a warm smile on his face.

"I do."

"Great, I know this wonderful little restaurant down town. I love it.I think you will too."

We continued with the small talk as we made our way through the crowded rush hour filled streets. Luckily we were going against traffic and our trip was a little less hectic than some of the harassed workers trying to make it home for dinner.

Edward pulled up at the valet and ran around to open my door, beating the valet to the punch. Luckily the entrance to the restaurant had an overhang and we walked arm in arm through the double doors without another dash through the rain.

The hostess seated us in a secluded booth away from the hustle of the busy restaurant floor. Edward ordered a bottle of red and we both began to look over the menu.

I glanced up to see him concentrating on the menu and took the chance to stare. His bronze hair was no longer perfectly styled, I preferred it mussed up as it was now. His bright eyes focused intently on the menu before him. The shape of his eyes and the liquid sea green took my thoughts to a dirty place.

I found myself once again zeroing in on his tear ducts, wanting to reach out and touch them with the tip of my tongue.

My resolve to take things slow was not going to work if I kept going there.

The waiter returned, pulling me out of my fantasies, and took our orders as we fell back into an easy flow of conversation.

He asked me about the bookstore and how long I'd worked there, admitting to it being a place he often visited up until a few months ago. I'd worked there since I'd moved to the city to live with Alice, and I was surprised I'd never seen him in there before. He wasn't something I'd miss.

That led into our mutual love for books. I learned he'd read everything from the classics to that new set of vampire books popular with teenage girls and their mothers.

After I'd picked myself up off the floor from laughing at that revelation, we moved onto music. I played the guitar, he played the piano. Remembering how his fingers had played my body a little over a week ago, I decided he must be quite an accomplished pianist.

The exchange flowed easily, the food was delicious and the wine was making my head just a little fuzzy. We'd covered so many topics but never really dove into the events that had thrown us together in the first place.

I feared that if I brought it up the night would take a turn toward awkward. I also feared that if I brought it up I'd want to repeat it. Purely to check that my memories were correct, of course.

While clearing our dinner plates, the waiter placed a dessert menu in front of me. A mean tactic, but he could obviously tell a sweet tooth when he saw one. Edward saw me practically salivating at the choices and ordered their six layer chocolate cake, topped with berries and an espresso for himself.

The cake arrived with two spoons, although four or more would have been appropriate. Edward and I laughed at the gluttonous mass of sugary goodness before us, and I dove in. Amazingly, it tasted even better than it looked.

I moved to wipe some chocolate from the corners of my mouth, clumsily knocking my spoon to the floor. Without missing a beat, Edward dug his spoon into the cake and held it up to my mouth. The look on his face as I slowly sucked the huge glob of chocolate off his spoon was the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

I could see the lust take over his face, his eyes darkened as his tongue dipped out and coated his lips in moisture.

It took all the strength I had not to climb across the table and attack him right then and there.

This wasn't going to end the way I had told myself it should if he kept tricking me that way.

Edward settled the bill and we headed to the door with the remainder of the cake packaged up to go. His hand was placed on my lower back as he guided me around the tables. I could feel the heat and sparks traveling through my body from the point of contact.

Exiting out to the valet podium he stepped in painfully closer as we waited for the car to arrive. The silence had once again settled over us, but like the first time we met, it wasn't awkward. A comfortable silence but an uncomfortable tension.

The car pulled up and Edward walked me around to the passenger side, opening the door and holding my hand as I sunk down into the seat. He walked quickly around to his side, tipping the valet on the way, patting the dashboard with a small smile as he fastened his seat belt.

"So, I had fun, I really had a lot of fun. Do you think we could do this again… soon?" he asked as we pulled out into the street.

The hope was written all over his face. Hmmm...I could have fun with this.

"I don't know Edward, I mean… yeah I had fun. But where is this going?" I questioned him, trying to keep my face as straight as possible.

"Well… what… we can't know that…" he stammered. His expression was that of a boy who had just lost his puppy.

I couldn't keep the façade up. I couldn't see that sad look on his face a moment longer.

"I'm kidding, I'm sorry. I would like to see you again." The relief washed away the sadness as I continued, "I really enjoyed myself. Let's do something again next weekend, does that sound OK?"

"Next weekend, sure, sounds good." The smile in his voice was apparent without me even seeing it.

But I had to see it. I looked up and caught his eye, and our eyes locked for a few seconds longer than they should, considering he was driving.

I broke his gaze first, for my safety as his passenger and looked out of the window at the downtown buildings passing by, a huge grin plastered on my face. The rain was still falling heavily. The streets were now almost deserted, just the odd person heading home late.

We chatted about our plans for the remainder of the weekend and the work week ahead of us, and before we knew it we were entering my neighborhood. As we rounded the corner onto my street, we cemented our plans for our second date.

Edward parked the car as close to my house as he could. He leaned around to the back seat, brushing my thigh with the back of his hand as he reached back to grab the umbrella. I started slightly at the contact, wishing I could allow it to be more.

He jumped out of the car, and holding the umbrella above us both, we ran laughing to my front door. We seemed to hit every puddle in our path, our feet and legs both soaked by the time we reached the stoop.

I rooted through my purse, grabbing my keys and fumbling with the lock. After what seemed like forever, getting impossibly wetter by the second, the door opened and we both stepped in out of the rain.

"I'm sorry, you're soaking… you should come in and dry off."

"Well, technically I am already in." he smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting in the most adorable manner. "But, I should go. Really, I should go."

He leaned in and placed a small tender kiss against my cheek. The electricity seemed to hold us together like an invisible force.

"I really did have a great time Bella. Thank you for agreeing to see me tonight." The velvet purr of his voice vibrated over my skin. I could feel my legs shake slightly and the moisture gather between my thighs as my mind reminded my body of the things he could do to me.

I longed to capture his hand in mine and drag him up the stairs to my room. I wanted the image of The Pretty in my bed to be real and not just a dream.

Nobody had ever had this hold over my body and my mind. It scared me and snapped me back to my senses.

"Thank you. I look forward to seeing you next week." I managed to spurt out formally as I watched him turn and make his way back out into the rain.

I stood and watched as his long legs carried him gracefully over the puddles back to his car.

I watched as he folded himself into the Volvo and drove off into the night.

I watched the empty street after he had disappeared around the corner.

Closing the door I slid down to the floor, my head in my hands.

I was so fucked.

He had some bizarre hold on me. There was some crazy connection that scared me as much as it excited me.

Suddenly a whole week before I saw him again seemed far too long.


	5. Chapter 5

**Kim and Laura – My awesome Comma Queen's – thank you so much for your fantastic beta abilities **

**Thanks to all the reviews – I love hearing what you think of this little story. It makes me smile REAL big. **

**I still do not own Twilight – Stephanie has taken to avoiding my calls, apparently she's not ready to sell. Either that or I don't have enough $$'s to buy. **

**So, with their first date over… let's see what happens!**

***********

I drove away from Bella's house feeling like I'd left a part of me there with her. Being inside the car alone made me feel claustrophobic, which made no sense. I had to get out. I had to return to find my missing piece.

Without realizing what I was doing, I had turned the car around and was heading right back to her. I pulled up outside her house, barely getting the keys out of the ignition before I took the three steps to her front porch in one stride.

Resting my head against the door, I knocked, willing her to answer, and then hoping she would let me in.

I could hear her walking toward me. I could feel her presence even through the door. The sparks of energy jumping from my body and attempting to burst through solid wood to connect with her.

"Who is it?" I heard Bella call, so close I knew she must be looking through the peep hole.

"It's me, Edward." I replied reluctantly, now realizing that maybe this wasn't the best idea.

Eddie Jr. had begun his little bouncing trick the moment I'd turned the car around. After hearing her voice again he was now demonstrating his dancing abilities to the max.

The key turned in the lock and slowly the door opened.

The relief to see a smiling Bella on the other side sent me into a tailspin of emotions.

Crossing the threshold, we fell into each other's arms, our lips moving together in an instant. I immediately requested a game of tonsil hockey and was overjoyed when she accepted.

We stumbled toward the staircase, barely breaking our holds on each other. A mess of arms, legs and tongues, we crashed our way up a few steps before collapsing in a heap of passion.

Bella pulled back for a moment, the lust evident in her hooded eyes. She pulled on my shirt, buttons flying in all directions. As she pushed the shirt over my shoulders my lips found hers again.

Pulling her up into my arms and pushing her legs to wrap around my waist, I moved further up the stairs toward our destination. I knew the destination was her room, but where the fuck was that?

Placing Bella back on her feet, I asked her out of breath, "Where to?"

Grabbing the waistband of my jeans, she dragged me down the hallway and through an open door at the end. I managed to squeeze in a quick glance around the room before I was forcefully pulled down onto the bed.

Her room was small, tidy, full of books and very purple.

Bella lay beneath me, her rich chestnut hair spread out on the purple comforter below her. The navy blue of her silk top was a perfect contrast against her pale white soft skin. The clothing was like delicate wrapping paper covering the best gift I could ever receive.

She was wearing entirely too much at this point in time.

The wrapping needed to come off.

As I hovered over her, breathless and in total awe, I moved my hand down her side. Grazing her breast and gliding over her rib cage, I made my way down to her jeans zipper. Tugging her jeans open, she raised herself to me as I pushed them over her hips. My breath hitched at the sight of her simple white cotton panties. So innocent but so sexy.

Kicking her legs, her jeans dropped to the floor. She pushed me back and sat up as her hands moved toward my own pants. After struggling to maneuver them over my now throbbing cock, she pushed them down my thighs and to the floor. Kicking off my shoes and socks, I stepped out of my pants and looked down at the striking sight before me.

Standing before her, I watched as she reached up, pulling the shirt over her head and throwing it ceremoniously across the room. Her long curls fell down across her shoulders and over the swell of her chest.

I almost came right there on the spot as she revealed her bare breasts to me.

Braless.

Shit. She'd been braless all fucking night.

A pair of panties and a pair of boxers were the only items that now stood in the way of us being completely naked together once again.

Pushing her back down onto the bed, I kissed her forcefully, the heat of our desire burning a fire over both our bodies. Moving my mouth to her jaw, I nibbled softly toward her ear, sucking her lobe in between my teeth and biting down gently.

A moan escaped her lips. The same sound I'd heard so many times that day at my apartment.

The sound made me shiver. I wanted it to be a constant in my life.

Continuing my trail of kisses and bites down her neck and across her chest, I hummed as I sucked her nipple into my mouth, feeling the rose pink nub harden against my tongue.

She arched her body into me, asking, begging for more.

Moving to pamper her other breast, the squirm of her warm body beneath me persuading me to take it slowly.

I wanted to love and cherish her the way she deserved to be.

Kissing across her toned stomach, I reached her panties. Tugging with my teeth and then hooking my fingers over the waistband, I slipped them down her long legs.

Bella lay perfectly naked, her legs spread, inviting me in.

Working my way back up her leg, I nibbled over her ankle and licked the crease of her knee. The tension in her small body continued to swell as I moved toward her center.

Without warning, I swept my tongue across her opening, tasting all that was Bella. Beautiful Bella.

Her back arched, bringing her hips to my face as she huskily said my name. Hearing my name fall from her lips spurred me on to give her the best orgasm she'd ever experienced.

I slipped one finger in, curling and twisting as my mouth found her clit. Her breathing became labored as I moved in and out of her, adding a finger and sucking on her swollen bud.

I felt her hands grip in my hair as I held her body down to the bed with my free hand. She wriggled beneath me as I sped up my movements.

Before long she was calling my name as she came powerfully against my mouth.

The sound of my name being called almost surpassed her moan as my favorite sound.

Moving my way back up her body, I was surprised as she pulled me roughly by the hair into a hard kiss.

She moved to my ear and whispered sensuously, her breath fanning over my neck and sending chills down my spine.

"I need you inside me Edward. Now…"

_Beep, beep, beep, beep._

The repetitive, annoying beep of my alarm clock woke me from my dream.

Fuck, it was all a dream.

I reached over, slamming my fist across the snooze button and turned my attention to Eddie Jr., who was creating a spectacular tent in the sheets, throbbing painfully at the lack of release.

My hand moved down under the covers, grabbing my rock hard cock and moving vigorously up and down its length. Closing my eyes and thinking of Bella, I worked myself up into a frenzy, spilling my load violently across my stomach.

And shit, what a load it was.

With the pressure in my balls released, I moved to sit up, grabbing a nearby t-shirt to clean myself. Stumbling out of bed, cursing under my breath, I made my way to the bathroom.

As the scorching hot water of the shower rained over my back and shoulders, I thought of the night before with Bella.

Our date had been nothing but amazing. If you can call a constant hard on, an obnoxious amount of sexual frustration and no release at the end of the night amazing. Once I would have disagreed, but with my sexual tension being caused by Bella… I'll take it and call it amazing.

From the moment she answered her front door, Eddie Jr. had stood at attention, and his guard hadn't dropped once. I was thankful the pants I had chosen to wear hid my predicament, or at least I hoped they did.

We had talked, laughed and shared stories but stayed clear of the circumstances of our first meeting. I'd caught her watching me numerous times as we ate. I'd fed her cake and seen the passion take over her eyes as she seductively sucked the chocolate off the spoon.

With all the teasing back and forth, I'd found myself having a hard time not touching her. As we'd left the restaurant, my hand had been magnetically drawn to the small of her back. I'd stood as close as I could while we waited for the car.

She didn't seem to mind. We were comfortably quiet, and the electricity wrapped us as it had that first day.

On the drive home we discussed seeing each other again. After she reduced me to a stammering fool with her hesitation, albeit a joke, we agreed to meet up again the following weekend.

_A week was too long. I'd gone through a week apart from her before__,__ and I didn't like it at all. _

_Considering last night's dream__, __I'm guessing my right hand and my cock are going to be great friends for the next seven days, and I'm going to go through a few loads of laundry._

Once we reached Bella's house, we'd run laughing through the rain to her front door. Dashing through puddles, my pants, shoes and socks were soaked. She'd invited me in to dry off and I'd declined.

I knew if I'd stayed I would have ruined the trust she was placing on me. I'd assured her she wasn't a booty call, and I had to show her that was the truth.

Reluctantly I'd left.

Driving home I'd felt empty.

Eddie Jr. had felt betrayed.

The water was beginning to cool and I snapped out of my daydream. Through the noise of the shower I could hear a distant annoying noise.

_Beep, beep, beep, beep._

The alarm sounding in my bedroom was a racket I could live without. A noise that was at the bottom of my favorite list, and one I'd happily replace with the sound of Bella calling my name.

Monday morning came around all too quickly. Activities I'd had planned with my family for months taking over the majority of the weekend. For that I was thankful, not only had it somewhat kept my mind off Bella, but I was now also two days closer to seeing her again.

Sitting at my desk on the 14th floor, looking out over the city, I powered up my laptop and logged into e-mails.

214.

Do my clients not have lives? They all seemed to use the weekend to catch up on e-mails, making my Monday mornings an e-mail hell.

I started clicking through the list, flagging some that could wait until later in the day, responding to others that needed immediate attention.

Half way down the list I saw it. A friend request from Facebook.

Opening up the e-mail, the name Bella Swan sang to me like a choir of angels.

Bella Swan.

With a shaking hand I clicked through to Facebook and was greeted with Bella staring right back at me. Her profile picture showed a happy Bella standing in a crowded bar, beer in hand, with her arm wrapped around Alice.

I'd heard so many crazy stories about Alice on Friday night, I couldn't help but like her. She seemed like a good friend, someone worth keeping around.

Accepting her friend request, I spent the next two hours cyber stalking her.

Her status updates were witty and full of sarcasm. Favorite songs were posted via YouTube on her wall. Then I moved on to her photos.

She didn't have many posted, but a few people had tagged her in their own. I moved through the images, amazed at the beauty before me. She was so photogenic. Her smile lit up her face as well as the faces of her friends and family around her.

In an album from a couple of years ago, I came across pictures of her with a tanned man with short, spiky, jet black hair and dark ominous eyes. His muscular form towered over Bella in a possessive way, and although they were clearly a couple, no intimacy came across at all.

The main difference was that her smile was gone. She looked tired and withdrawn. Each and every picture of them together showed his beaming, overly white-toothed smile and her hesitant, tight lipped, sad look.

Jacob Black was his name.

She'd told me she'd been hurt before. Was this the bastard who hurt her?

I hoped I'd never find myself face to face with him if he was. His face wouldn't be so blindingly smiley if we did meet.

Two hours later I realized I'd answered no work related e-mails at all, and I was getting seriously close to having to put in unpaid overtime because of it.

Reluctantly, I logged out of Facebook, before briefly considering saving one of her pictures as my desktop background. I thought that was a little too premature in our 'relationship' and decided against it. I was happy in the fact that I could log in and see her beautiful face at the drop of a hat.

After just an hour of getting actual work accomplished, another e-mail from Facebook.

"_Bella Swan has posted something on your wall"_

Clicking through to Facebook, I feel my heart beat pick up speed and feel my temperature rise.

_Hey, thanks for accepting the friend request. I had fun Friday night. I'm looking forward to the weekend. Hope your week is going well. Bella._

I knew then that she was likely cyber stalking her way through my photo albums at that very moment. Wasn't the whole purpose of Facebook to be nosey?

Did I have pictures of Rosalie on there? Did I want Bella to see pictures of Rosalie? What if she's already seen them – would it be weird for me to delete them now?

Why was I freaking out about this?

I wanted to be the perfect catch. I wanted Bella to see that she couldn't live without me, just the way I already felt about her.

I didn't want anything_ - anything - _so trivial to get in the way.

Deciding that I couldn't change anything on my profile now, I responded to her post.

_Bella, I had a great time too. Thank you for agreeing to let me take you out. The week is dragging already, I need it to be the weekend. Edward._

Smiling broadly, I hit send. Then once again got down to work, hoping it would speed up the hours.

It didn't.

Each day dragged, each hour dragged. I was beginning to feel like I was being punished for something. I was also beginning to feel like a lovesick puppy.

The highlights of my days were the odd message from Bella. Just checking in, just saying hi.

But seemingly unable to lose complete contact for seven days, just like myself.

At least I can hope that's the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this one took so long… real life got in the way, how dare it! I will try my very best to not leave it so long again – Brownies Honour **** I was a Brownie once, it still counts!**

**Thank you to Kim for once again supplying me with commas, I feel I'll never love them as much as she does. My sweet Laura was off skiing, I hope she comes back in one piece. I miss her!**

**I thought I was getting close with the whole 'buying Twilight' thing – but alas, not such luck. SMeyer still owns it all. **

**Treat me with a review or two – let me know if you like what you see. **

*********

BPOV

Sexual frustration.

The two words that described my every living moment since the second I'd left Edwards apartment on that sexually charged day, almost two weeks ago now. You would think from the amount of sex we'd actually had that day, I would have had my fill for a couple of months.

That day had ended up having the opposite effect.

I'd realized what I'd been missing all these years.

I'd realized how lousy sex with Jacob had been. I just hadn't had much, in the way of anything before Jacob, to compare it to.

But then put Edwards's expertise into the mix, along with those magical fingers, and there was no looking back.

If I had been honest with myself, I already knew that there was no way I was going to shut him out forever when I closed his apartment door.

I'd been ecstatic when he'd shown up at the book store. I'd just kept it carefully hidden away.

I didn't want to expect too much, then get burned. After all, I didn't know anything about Edward. I had to get to know him, collect some trust, before I could open my heart to him.

We'd gone on a simple date. He'd showed me the utmost respect, but the underlying physical attraction between us had been obvious.

Neither of us had reacted on it, but I felt we'd both wanted to.

As the evening had gone on we'd found ourselves moving in sync with each other. Every move I made was closely mirrored by Edward. Any excuse for him to have a part of himself touching me, in the most innocent of ways, and he had.

As I'd closed the door behind him after he'd dropped me back off at my house, I'd fought with myself not to text him, ask him to turn around, and come back. I was 100% sure he would have obliged.

Instead, I'd done the only thing I could think of, I'd set out to cyberstalk him. I wanted to know everything I could about him.

Starting with the obvious, I typed his name into Facebook and hit search.

Two Edward Cullens – if only a girl could be so lucky!

Looking at the two profile pictures gazing at me from the computer screen, I saw Mr. Face of an Angel and Mr. Balding Overweight Grandfather – well, that made him easy to find.

Clicking his profile, I wept a little inside finding it wrapped up tight and protected. Move along, nothing to see here. Before I could chicken out, I sent the friend request and turned to my pal Google to find out more.

Google didn't have too much to tell me. I found he was the Managing Director of a local Advertising Agency. With this little bit of info, the battered old Volvo completely confused me.

A few posts further down I found an old link to his engagement announcement in the local newspaper. He must have only been married a couple of years. Seeing the picture of him with this stunning blonde, looking happy and carefree, a feeling of jealousy spiked for a mere moment in my heart.

She was stunning, long gentle blonde curls, piercing blue eyes sparkling from within her heart shaped face. In heels she almost met Edward in height, and her elegant curves modeled her outfit with perfection.

They looked wonderful together. I couldn't fathom what could have happened to bring on divorce, but I guess looking great together, doesn't mean everything else works that should. I'd settle for looking just OK together and everything else falling into place with ease and perfection.

I was truly smitten by him. I was under a magical spell. I wanted nothing more to be with him right now – but now wasn't the time I told myself.

By Monday, after what seemed like the longest weekend in history, he'd accepted my friend request on Facebook. My heart flipped when I saw the e-mail come in on my phone. I was too swamped at work to troll his profile, but when I had a free moment I posted a quick message on his wall.

That night I'd spent a couple of hours looking through his photos. There was more of Rosalie looking perfect in every picture, and many of Edward looking like he could melt a thousand hearts with just a smirk or a wink.

The week passed agonizingly slow. The only highlights were the frequent wall posts between Edward and I. Nothing too deep, nothing suggestive, just innocent messages urging the hours to pass by faster.

Finally Friday arrived. I had the day off, which translated to me having twelve hours of time to fill before I could place my eyes on 3D Edward, instead of the 2D Edward I'd been stalking online.

The house had never been cleaner by the time 6 pm rolled round, and I hopped in the shower to get ready for our date.

Closing my eyes and letting the warm water wash over me, I finally let the excitement for this evening bubble up to the surface. The anticipation of being close to him again was driving me wild with my longing.

I needed to be with him, close to him, in a way that I had never experienced before. Love, or at the least lust, at first sight no longer seemed like such a ridiculous idea to me.

After washing my hair, pulling the razor over my wet skin and lathering myself up with a deliciously scented body wash, I turned the water off and grabbed a towel. Padding around my bedroom as I dripped dry, I focused on the all important question – what to wear?

I was not the kind of person that normally cared that much, as long as I was comfy and looked presentable I was happy.

Tonight's choice of venue had been my idea, a casual restaurant on the banks of the lake, then bowling – to avoid temptation I'd taken any form of dancing off the list. I wasn't convinced that would help in any way. Just being close to him gave me the urge to drag him to my bed.

After settling on some dark blue capris and a flirty fitted tee, I straightened my hair, applied some mascara and lip gloss and began the wait.

I didn't have to wait long, the knock on the door came ten minutes early.

I skipped and danced my way down the stairs, without falling which impressed me, and opened the front door to my evenings delight.

Again, he took my breath away. I wondered if the reaction to his beauty would stop hitting me so hard at any point, or if I should just get used to this heart attack feeling.

"Bella, good evening, you look amazing," he purred, an angled smirk crossing his lips.

"Good evening you fucking sex God" was the reply I wanted to use… but instead I spat out a lame, "Good evening to you too."

I think he knows the dazzling effect he has on me, he must know. He can't be so innocent as to the effect he has on people.

"Let me grab my bag and throw some shoes on and I'm ready," I managed to spit out as I turned back into the hallway.

I could feel his eyes burning into me as I bent to slip on my ballet flats. The burn of the blush as it crept across my chest and up over my face caused me to spend a much longer time fiddling with my shoes in order to give the color chance to drain.

"Do you need some help with that?" his much too close voice startled me, and I whipped around to come crashing into him.

His arms wrapped around me, stopping me from stumbling further, and I found my face buried into his broad chest. I felt him chuckle as I inhaled the scent of Edward that I was now engulfed in. The blush wasn't going anywhere any time soon and I had a feeling I was going to spend the evening with heat pulsating elsewhere after this little embrace.

Stoically, I pushed back a few inches and looked up to question him.

"Help with what?"

"Your shoes, you seemed to be having trouble." He laughed, "Not that I wasn't enjoying the view, but… well."

I playfully smacked his arm for the teasing, grabbed his hand, then pulled him out the door. "You ready? Let's go."

I was ready to get the eating and the bowling out of the way so I could get this man home and into my bed, where I was now truly convinced he belonged.

No more games. I had to go with my gut instinct and instead of just presuming Edward was like every other guy that had stomped all over my heart, trust that he was different.

So far, since the day of magical sex, he'd been nothing but a gentleman. I'd seen the passion and want in his eyes, but not once had he acted upon it.

Maybe, just maybe, he was Mr. Right.

How lucky was I if he was? Good looking, sexy as hell, perfect gentleman and obviously as interested in me as I was in him.

How stupid would I be to push him away just in case he wasn't the one?

I had to stop playing childish games and stop withholding what we both craved so much. Besides, my body couldn't take me saying no any longer. My body needed to win this battle with my mind, and my mind needed to be OK with that.

In his usual gentlemanly manner, Edward walked me around to the passenger side of his car. Not letting go of my hand until the last possible second and narrowly avoiding trapping his arm in the door as he closed it behind me.

I watched as he walked back around the front of the car. His strut captivated me. His dark grey button down flapping open in the wind revealing a lighter grey v-neck tee beneath, hugging his muscular chest.

He climbed in the car, went through his usual routine of starting the car, then breathing a sigh of relief when it actually behaved.

"So, where to?" he asked looking over at me with a slight smirk.

"Oh, yeah… that would help." I laughed, "Do you know Billy's Hamburger Hut, by the lake? I thought we could eat there then maybe bowl, the alley is close by? I know, lame… but well…"

"I'd love to bowl, and Billy's is one of my favorites. You know me so well," he teased.

"Well, perfect then, what are you waiting for?"

We fell into an easy banter for the short drive to the restaurant, both feeling comfortable in each other's presence.

We laughed and joked our way through dinner, and as the meal continued found ourselves edging closer towards each other.

Settling the bill, we headed out to walk the mile or so along the lakeside trail to the old retro bowling alley. Edward's hand slipped into mine as we hit the fresh evening air, and I gave him a gentle squeeze reassuring him I was OK with it.

We walked in silence and, once again, I felt the ever present sexual tension reaching an all time high.

His knuckles swept across my hip as our arms swung gently between us. The pace of our feet was slowing and my heart beat was rapidly increasing. Just feeling him so close to me was making me wet with desire.

The sun had almost set over the hills on the far side of the lake, and the orange glow of the late evening cast a romantic haze over us.

Edward turned us both towards the setting sun, bringing me in front of him, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head.

"It's beautiful," I spoke of the view in front of me.

"Not as beautiful as the person I'm lucky enough to see it with," Edward's velvet voice sent chills through my body as he complimented me.

"Thank you, you're not too shabby yourself," I chuckled, hiding my slight embarrassment from him with humor.

"Bella?" he questioned, as he gently turned my body around to face his, "May I kiss you?"

A slight nod of my head was the only encouragement he needed for his lips to meet mine as his hands cradled my face.

Gently at first, the warmth of his breath crossing my face and hitting my senses forcing me to deepen the kiss. Edward didn't seem to mind and parted his lips to allow me access. Slowly our tongues danced a rhythmic tango, pausing only to catch our breath.

My hands tangled into his hair pulling his face closer to mine. His hands moved down across my arms, tenderly sweeping over my waist and resting on my backside.

I could feel his arousal pressing determined against my stomach, the sensation only wetting my appetite even more so.

Hearing voices heading down the trail towards us, Edward backed us expertly into the tree line, the length of our bodies not losing contact for even a split second.

My breath came harder and faster as he pushed me up against a tree, surrounding me with his tender yet oddly forceful embrace. My insides ached for him, I didn't think I could wait much longer.

I wasn't going to wait much longer.

Pushing Edward away, I hooked a finger though his belt loop and pulled him back towards the trail. Back towards the car. Back towards my bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Almost three months... way too long for me to go between chapters. I said I wouldn't, but crap, real life really did jump in the way. All I can say is... stay away from stingrays... and I really mean that. Take it from someone who knows! **

**Now as my little family puts the Stingray Incident of 2010 behind us I felt a huge need to get this chapter out! And here it is... I hope it's worth the wait! I really do. **

**Thank you once again to my beautiful beta's... Kim and Laura. You're mean but you rock! :-) **

**Robert Freaking Pattinson... just stop with the adorkable hotness... OK, don't stop. No really, ignore me, don't stop. **

**Well... without further ado... here it is...**

The drive back to Bella's house wasn't far, yet it seemed to take an eternity to get there.

Admittedly my mind and body had been on edge since the very moment I laid eyes on the real Bella at the beginning of our date, all the more powerful on my senses than the Facebook Bella. But the second she had hooked her finger through my belt loop my every last nerve was on fire.

We'd practically sprinted back to my car. I had fumbled around in my pockets for the keys, having Bella's hands all over me had done nothing for my concentration. I'd finally managed to unlock both the passenger side door and Bella's hold on me. Racing around the car to the driver's side I'd attempted to steady my heartbeat and nerves.

The car had spluttered a couple of times then, as both Bella and I held our breath while sitting ridiculously still, burst to life. I didn't much feel like back seat hanky panky – but that would've been the case if the old machine hadn't done her job.

During the ride home we'd hit every red light possible. This had freed up a few seconds to safely fondle each other before the light turned green and I was once again forced to keep my eyes and thoughts, or at least a small percentage of my thoughts, on the road.

Bella's dainty hand had laid over mine on the gear stick the majority of the drive making my fingers look impossibly long next to hers. The couple of times her hand had left its perch over mine**,** she had slowly dragged her nails up my thigh, running across the ever increasing bulge in my pants, and back down to cover my hand in hers. All with an excruciatingly desirable feather light touch.

Each swerve I made on the road as her hands ran over my body caused a knowing laugh to fall from her lips. She was so beautifully mean**,** and she was going to be in so much trouble.

Now as we pulled up outside her house I saw that it looked to be all dark, no one else home. I'd heard a lot about Bella's roommate Alice, but now was not the time to meet her. Erection and all.

_Nice to meet you Alice, I'm Edward… and the large protrusion in my pants is Eddie Jr. _

I abandoned the car in the worst parallel parking effort ever attempted, leapt out and ran around to get Bella's door in under five seconds. As we laughed and stumbled our way up the path, Eddie Jr. continued his happy dance in my pants.

Bella had her keys out in a flash**,** and we fell through the door and into each other's arms. Kicking the door shut behind me**,** I stopped all movement and looked down at the woman in my embrace. Her wanton face looked back up at me, her eyes hooded with lust, her lips moist from the tongue that had seductively poked out to lick them.

My lips crashed to hers, my hands trying to cover every inch of her body to familiarize myself with its curves and dips once more. I'd craved this for two weeks. Every inch of my body needed to be reunited with every inch of hers.

Her hands slid down my back, pulling against the fabric that covered me and easing it up so her skin could make contact with mine. Then**,** once again**,** she linked her finger through my belt loop and pulled me towards the stairs. Looking down on me from the second step she pushed her breasts towards me before planting a sweet chaste kiss on my forehead.

In a move that I'd have to remember to be proud of the next morning, I flipped her up over my shoulder and took the stairs two at a time rushing us towards our ultimate destination.

"Where to?" I questioned as we neared the top of the stairs.

In between giggles coming from over my shoulder Bella directed me towards her room. I set her down roughly on the bed, leaning my body over hers and watching her writhe in excitement below me.

"I've waited too long for this moment Bella" my voice sounded rough and needy, even to me. "God, I've missed you so much."

"Edward…" was the only word that made its way out of Bella's mouth before she'd pulled me down to her and covered my mouth in hers.

Our tongues fought for dominance, a rough, hot kiss that only served to heighten our sensations. I felt her hands wrapped in my hair as her legs moved to wrap round me and pull the rest of my body flush. Balancing on my left arm**,** I let my free hand roam her body, pushing her hair over her shoulder and watching it spread out over the bedding. A sight that almost sent Eddie Jr. over the edge.

Her hands moved from my hair to push my thankfully unbuttoned shirt down off my shoulders, forcing me to break contact and sit back up, straddling her exquisite body, to drop the shirt to the floor. I grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and made quick work of ridding myself of that too. The sparkle in her eye as she watched me undress, the magnetic force that brought her hands to my abdomen as it was exposed, drove me wild.

I wanted to be inside of her now. I didn't want to wait, and I couldn't wait any longer. Her hands now pulling on my zipper ensured me she had the same urges.

Stepping back off the bed I dropped my pants, taking my boxers with them and allowing junior to spring free.

Before I could become acquainted with the cool evening air**,** a small but forceful hand had wrapped itself around my rock hard length.

Prior to the last two weeks, I'd had 572 days of limp dick… now, seeing him stand proud before me was worthy of great celebration.

I watched in awe as Bella slid off the bed and onto her knees before me. I would have laughed as I saw her throw a cushion to the floor beneath her knees, but my vocal chords weren't working in conjunction with my brain at that moment.

Her lust-filled brown eyes locked onto mine as she placed a small kiss on the end of my cock, before slowly running her tongue in a circular motion over the tip. With a mischievous wink she took almost my full length into her mouth causing me to arch forward violently, grabbing the chest of drawers behind me to still my movements as best I could.

She began masterfully moving her way up and down, pressing her tongue to the underside as she moved her hand in sync at the base. I could feel the end of my cock touch her throat each time she enveloped me in her warm, wet mouth. It took every ounce of strength for me to not thrust into her vehemently.

It didn't take long at all before I felt the tightness forming and the heat overtaking my body as I came closer to my release.

"Bella…" I gasped, "I'm going to…"

Placing her hand on my stomach, she looked up towards me and shook her head slightly before continuing with more passion and force than before. Moving her hand around to my backside, essentially holding us together as I watched her head bounce before me.

Pushing my hands roughly into her hair and holding on for dear life, I exploded into her mouth, crying out her name. The ripples of pleasure coursing through my body and heating my very soul.

I held still, trembling slightly and feeling weak, as she drank me down and licked me clean. The whole time keeping her eyes firmly fixed on mine. A slight glint of satisfaction twinkling up at me.

If she wasn't in trouble before, I could guarantee she was now.

Coming down from my high I watched as, with one last kiss for Junior, Bella started a slow and sexy climb back up my body. Digging her nails slightly into my lower back**,** she kissed and nibbled her way across the V of my hip bones, making sure to pamper each side, before continuing her journey upwards.

My hands fell back into her hair, urging her upwards to meet my mouth once more. With a sharp bite against my jaw line, making me wince in pleasure, she placed her soft lips back against mine.

I could taste the salty sweetness of myself on her mouth - the vision of her taking all of me in her mouth still flashing before me. The flavor and the vision combined only working to ensure Eddie Jr. bounced back for more.

Laying her gently on the bed**,** I began to undress the beauty that now lay beneath me. I wanted to bury her in the same ecstasy she had just bestowed upon me. I wanted to treat her like the princess she was and give her body and mind the ride of its life.

Slowly I undid her capri's and slid them down over her long slender legs, pushing them over her feet and, taking her shoes with them, I dropped them to the floor. I began to work her tee up her torso, stopping to kiss and lick the taught muscles of her abdomen as I went.

Arching her back to me**,** I looped one arm underneath her to pull her up from the mattress then swiftly lifted the shirt over her head. Her hair fell back haphazardly over her shoulders, slightly ruffled from the events of the last half hour or so. I intended to ruffle some more.

She now lay underneath me in the most innocent pair of white lace panties and a matching bra, which squeezed her modest breasts together with perfection.

Pushing her hands behind her back**,** she unfastened her bra before pulling it slowly over her shoulders and dropping it to the ground to join the ever increasing pile of clothing.

My eyes, hands then mouth found her flushed pink mounds within moments of their reveal. Swirling my tongue around her left nipple then gently sucking it into my mouth**,** I felt it harden at my touch, its partner following suit under my kneading palm.

The pressure of Bella pushing against me and the soft moans falling from her lips urged me on as I began my expedition to reacquaint myself with her body.

I ran my hand down her side, and a shiver ran through her body as she said my name softly. She wrapped her legs behind me causing my once again alert cock to line up against her entrance and my head to jerk up from my inspection of her breast.

One gentle push and I'd be inside of her - the place I'd dreamt about being for two weeks. The place I desired to be the most.

One small movement.

My head dropped to her shoulder as my breathing became ragged at just the thought.

Just as I was about to push inside her a hand pushed against my shoulder and I heard the word every man dreads.

"Condom Edward…" she spoke quietly but firmly, "in the drawer by my bedside."

With a slight huff I reached over to the drawer, rummaging around for the elusive condom. To be honest, I would have wrapped the rascal in duct tape if it had meant I'd once again get to feel her around me.

Eventually my fingers felt the crisp foil packet, I tore it open and I rolled the condom on before dropping back down to draw her right nipple into my mouth.

My knees pushed her legs apart and Junior found his way back home and stood as patiently as can be expected on the door step waiting for permission to enter.

"Bella, I need to be inside you." I breathed into her ear.

"I _need_ you inside of me." She answered before turning her face towards mine and passionately kissing me.

Her hands wrapped in my hair, her legs once again gripping tight, pulling me close, around my back. A gorgeous wrapping I could quite easily get used to.

That was the only permission I needed. I slowly pushed my way inside, stopping for a mere moment to take in the overwhelming feeling of being fully surrounded by the woman who had quite clearly captured my heart.

We began a slow sexy rhythm. Bodies entangled, breath unruly and hearts beating inches from each other. My forehead dropped to hers and I felt her sweet breath across my face.

Carefree moans escaped her lips, she moved with me, we moved together. Our rhythm speeding up as the pleasure began to engulf us.

I moved my hand down between us, teasing and gently squeezing over her swollen clit. The steady tempo and the constant pressure forced her breath to become ragged, her body to stiffen and my name to echo through the room.

I felt Bella's body arch into me as her orgasm spread quickly through her petite body. Her legs pulled me in impossibly tighter, her arms wrapped around my neck and her fingers entangled in my hair.

Her now husky voice called out once more before she collapsed into the bed as I came inside her, before falling heavily down beside her.

I swear I heard Eddie Jr. patting himself on the back for a job well done.

We lay together as our breathing settled, wrapped in each other, quiet and blissful.

I felt whole. I felt happy. I felt ecstasy.

I could get used to this.

After what seems like an eternity, I untangled myself from Bella's strong grip and rolled off the bed to rid myself of the condom. Walking to the bathroom I heard a chuckle from the bed.

"What?" I questioned turning to look at the gorgeous woman laying naked across the sheets.

"Oh, nothing." She said quietly, a hint of humor in her voice.

Shaking my head I walked into the bathroom, threw the condom away and turned to make my way back. As I passed the full length mirror something caught my eye. I stopped and looked… the foil wrapper was firmly stuck to my butt cheek. Throwing it away I laughed to myself as I headed back to the bed.

"You lost your decoration?" Bella teased "It looked so good on you."

"Yeah, I figured it wasn't the best accessory to have stuck to me." I answered, trying to be witty when I hadn't yet got all my brain power back.

"Well, I guess I could be that accessory?"

"It would be my pleasure Bella… stick away**,**" I murmured as I crawled my way back up her body and nestled in beside her.

Making sure every inch of skin that could was pressed against each other we drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
